The Long Way Home
by JessBubble
Summary: Years into the future the crew have finished their mission, settled down and started families. Now it's their children's turn to fly, but with the typical misadventures that befall a Kirk-led crew threatening their lives can they pull it together as their parents did so long ago?
1. Chapter 1: Meeting The Crew

**Author's Note:  
** **For anybody new to the story welcome, for anybody revisiting it welcome back! I think I've finally cracked the paragraphing issue all my stories so far have suffered with and like the other two (though I'm still working on them) this story has undergone a lot of editing to try and make the paragraphs easier to read. For any previous reader's chapters 1-6 have been edited and reposted with anything from chapter 7 onwards being new added content for you, if there are still any major issues please let me know so I can fix them as best I can!  
Again I'd like to say this was written before Star Trek Beyond so characters like Jaylah will not feature as this wasn't written with Beyond in mind, and I have very little knowledge of Demora Sulu, hence it was easier for me to create Kaiyo instead. Spoiler alert…** **I don't own anything to do with the Star Trek franchise, only the characters I have created** **. Enjoy!  
Best Wishes,  
JessBubble **

Anton checked his bag for the umpteenth time that morning, nervously double checking its contents while his father and mother watched from the kitchen. He ran a hand through his curly hair (something he'd inherited from his father) whilst staring down into the bag, feeling like it would swallow him whole if he dared reach in. His mother frowned slightly, hating to see her son so nervous, but her husband had insisted this would be good for him and she knew deep down he was right. Anton zipped up the bag with a sigh, trying to ignore the nervous fluttering in his stomach. Feeling a warm hand on his shoulder he turned to see his father looking down on him, such pride and love in his eyes that Anton felt obligated to try and look happy.

His father chuckled,  
"Не притворяйся, что ты не нервничай сын, я вижу тебя насквозь." **(Don't pretend you're not nervous son, I see right through you.)** a knowing smile gracing his lips. Anton sighed a bit and nodded once, hands fumbling with the bag strap in an effort to take his mind off of the pending separation from his parents. Anton wasn't even sure he wanted to go but his father insisted he would love it and that maybe, just maybe, it would make him want to join Starfleet as he had.

His mother had argued vehemently that his path was his own to choose but Anton loved his father a lot and wanted to make him proud...just maybe not as a navigator. Numbers came just as easily to Anton Chekov as they did to his father but the young boy was much more comfortable in engineering, surrounded by metal and wires that he could join or separate to do whatever he wanted with. Anton liked the freedom and the imagination behind engineering, loved the ways he could use his creativity and how he had to think on his feet, but he didn't love the idea of going away for six weeks when he'd never spent that long without his parents before.

"Что делать, если я испортить? Что никого нет мне нравится?" **(What if I mess up? What if nobody there likes me?)** he asked quietly, looking up at his father through his mother's green eyes. The pair of them would be departing in a little over ten minutes to board the shuttle that would take them to San Francisco from Moscow.

Pavel Chekov (now considerably older and wiser) gently squeezed his shoulders, smiling down at Anton and shaking his head, dismissing his son's worries with the gesture.

"Они будут любить тебя, я обещаю. Что касается испортить ... каждый должен, если они хотят, чтобы узнать, как получить это право." **(They will love you, I promise. As for messing up...everybody has to if they want to learn how to get it right.)** Pavel replied.

Anton smiled a bit, pulling his bag up onto his shoulder and nodding firmly,  
"I'm ready." he said determinedly, his heavy accent ringing through the English words.

Pavel couldn't have been prouder and felt his heart swell,  
"Then say goodbye to your mother, today is ze day!" he urged excitedly.

Hikaru Sulu knocked on the door and waited for it to open with a small smile on his face. His little girl was growing up fast but still he knew she'd need this. He held out the small dragon pin, a twisted piece of shiny golden metal that bit its own tail and was engraved meticulously to be a beautifully hand crafted token for her to carry with her. Her grandfather had given it to her before he died and Hikaru knew that Kaiyo tended to take it everywhere with her as a good luck charm.

She took it from his hand with a small smile, fixing it to the collar of her leather jacket with a satisfied nod before casting him a look he knew too well,  
"Shinkei koibito?" **(Nervous sweetheart?)** he asked her, softly tucking a stray lock of her mother's jet black hair behind her ear. She'd inherited his dark eyes and could see the glimmer in them he recognised from years of looking in the mirror, the glimmer of excitement.

His heart swelled when she shrugged nonchalantly,  
"Sukoshi papa ga, kinchō yori mo kōfun. Kore wa tanoshimi ni narimasu!" **(A little papa, but more excited than nervous. This will be fun!)** she smiled, reaching behind her to snatch up her duffel bag and backpack from the bed. Hikaru took the duffel bag from her, kissing her forehead tenderly and running his hand over her silky hair.

He couldn't be prouder of his daughter. Kaiyo had an affinity for languages (something that he swore was down to growing up in a bilingual house) and had the makings of a great communications officer. Moreover, she wanted to join Starfleet and was taking pride in her skills, wanting to expand on them and use them for good - she'd spent the weeks leading up to this learning Russian when he told her one of his best friend's sons would be a Russian boy. They'd spent the night at a hotel and would take the car today to get to Starfleet HQ. Dumping her bags in the trunk of the car he chuckled at his daughter's enthusiasm, watching her all but bounce into the passenger's seat.

The moment he sat down, Kaiyo's thirst for knowledge came back with a vengeance.

"Papa no yōna anata no yūjin wa nanidesu ka? Anata wa mae ni kodomo-tachi ni atta koto ga arimasu ka? Karera wa watashi o suki ni narudeshou ka?" **(What are your friends like papa? Have you met their children before? Will they like me?)** she fired off question after question and Hikaru held up a hand to stem the flow of words from her mouth.

Glancing at her, he cocked an eyebrow at the small frown he could see marring her features. Tilting his head he hummed slightly,  
"Watashi wa sorera o mitashite inaishite inaiga, karera wa karera no oya no yōna mono o shite irunaraba, watashi wa anata ga sorera o sukidarou o hoshō suru koto ga dekimasu." **(I haven't met them no, but if they're anything like their parents then I can assure you you'll like them.)** he promised her. Seeing her relax slightly Hikaru turned his full attention to the road. It was true that though he'd seen photographs he'd never met the friends of his children, the times they could meet up were often unconventional for young children and by the time they reached their teenage years they had no intention of voluntarily being seen in public with their parents. Shaking the thoughts away he pulled out into the traffic. They needed to be on time. After all, today was the day.

"Max! Max! What are yer doin'?" Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott called up the stairs. They had a shuttle to catch if they were going to get to San Francisco on time and Max was going to make them late...again. The Scott's were never really on time for anything but their warm manner and hearty apologies usually got them off the hook - too bad that apologies wouldn't cut it if they were late this time.

"I'm comin' dad!" he yelled back, still yanking a shirt over his head as he kicked a suitcase down the stairs. Scotty jumped back to avoid it and rolled his eyes, hearing his wife yelling about keeping the noise down. "Sorry sorry! I had to pack a few wee things I forgot." he apologised sheepishly.

Scotty shook his head, an amused smile on his lips before he ushered him to the living room,  
"Right, go say bye to yer mother while I put yer bags in the car." he instructed. Wheeling the suitcase outside he popped the trunk and lifted in the heavy case with a grunt. What the hell had his son packed? Deciding it was best not to ask, Scotty hurried back to the door to kiss his wife's cheek and pry her hands off of their son, "I'll be back before yer know it...try not to go into labour while I'm gone, hmm?" Scotty was admittedly begging but when his wife's due date was three weeks away he didn't want to take any chances.

"Wouldn't dream of it, now get going or you'll be late! I love you both!" she called after their hurrying forms. Maxwell (or more commonly known as Max) Scott was already sat in the passenger seat, leg bouncing nervously and fingers drumming on his thigh. Scotty sighed a bit and glanced over at his son as he headed to the shuttle launch site.

"How are yer feelin' son?" he asked. Max shrugged a bit, reaching into the glove compartment to grab a soft mint and pop one in his mouth.

"A little nervous, I mean...it's not every day yer get to meet yer dad's oldest friends." he replied with a small grin. "But I'm excited to! I mean, one step closer to Starfleet, right?"

Scotty chuckled,  
"That's right son." he stated proudly. Max had wanted to go to Starfleet just like his dad and Uncle Keenser had, only his talents lay more with tactical and navigational skills than engineering. Scotty had tried to push him in that direction but his son was adamant he'd rather blow things up than fix them, which made sense when he was such a little whirlwind moving around his own home that he'd broken numerous plates and vases in his lifetime. "I canny deny, I'm lookin' forward to seeing them again." Scotty confessed with a smile. The Enterprise crew hadn't met up for a while but were always sending messages to one another, you couldn't serve together as long as they had without forming inseparable friendships.

Max chuckled and clapped his dads arm, almost making him swerve into the other side of the road with the unnecessary force behind his hit. Scotty tried not to groan exasperatedly and instead gave his son a slightly strained smile.

"It'll be fun!" he cried enthusiastically, "Today's the day!"

Spock glanced curiously at Nyota as she put her earrings in, hands clasped neatly behind his back as was his usual stance. Nyota glanced over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow at him, a trick she'd picked up from years spent as his partner.

"What is it?" she asked him curiously. Spock tilted his head slightly, expression remaining as impassive as ever but a glimmer of affection shining in his brown eyes.

"You insist on beautifying yourself when there is no treatment or accessory that could further optimise your features." he replied. Nyota smiled, knowing it was his way of calling her beautiful, and pecked his cheek as she grabbed her handbag,  
"Thank you." She grabbed the keys from the table by the door and handed them to Spock, who locked the door to their home as they exited it. Since Spock was still at a youthful enough age to be of service, the family lived in San Francisco and didn't have all that far to travel. Of course, they had a home on New Vulcan too but since the death of Sarek it was rare they visited it. "Where's-"

"Already in the car." Spock cut her off, knowing he was about to ask where their son was. Nyota had been ecstatic to become a mother but she hadn't realised just how like Spock he was going to be. Fistrinn could be rather...stoic, but being only a quarter Vulcan meant his emotional outbursts were far more frequent than his father's and he was rather outspoken as a result. It wasn't the usual Vulcan honesty either, it was sarcasm in a rather dry tone of voice that conveyed his opinions and most people found it offensive when it was aimed at them. Climbing into the car she glanced back into the back seat to see Fistrinn watching the scenery pass outside his window, his face blank but his eyes showing a flicker of excitement that she knew he would never admit to. Smiling slightly, Nyota reached over to tap his knee and gain his attention, relishing in the sight of the son she wouldn't get to see for weeks now.

"So Rinn, are you excited?" she asked. Fistrinn thoughtfully inclined his head, weighing his words carefully before finally saying,  
"I am curious to meet your friends, and since I cannot lie it would be fruitless to try and hide that I am perhaps apprehensive about meeting their offspring. But yes mother, I suppose I am satisfied to be taking part in this activity."

Nyota nodded her head a bit and glanced at Spock, seeing his eyebrow arch slightly when he looked back at his son through the mirror.

"Did you pack all that you will need for the next six weeks?" he questioned.

"Yes." Fistrinn's reply was curt and to the point, just like his ears. Nyota laughed lightly at the similarities between her boys. Fistrinn had inherited his father's brown eyes and her dark hair, his father's ears and her slender frame - though she knew he had quite a bit of muscle due to the broken noses his school had informed her about when he had stood up to the people bullying him for his ears. She had no doubt that just like his father he would also make a great science officer one day - he already outstripped most of his peers at school. She only hoped that he'd fit in with the kids at summer camp. Shaking the thoughts from her head she sighed and settled back in her chair, her friends' kids would no doubt make him welcome just as they had all welcomed Spock so many years ago. Even though he was eighteen, Nyota wasn't quite sure if she was ready to let him go for six weeks, however she knew she had no choice because today was the day.

"Do you have to kiss each other all the time?" Christopher moaned. His father chuckled and pulled back, looking over his shoulder at his son with a grin,  
"Yes, it's not a crime to let your mother know I love her." Jim Kirk answered, leaning back in to give Natalie a quick peck on the cheek before they got out of the car.

"It's not enough that you tell her every day?" Chris asked exasperatedly, shouldering his duffel bag and wrinkling his nose. Natalie laughed and smoothed his hair over, making him groan and run a hand through it to fluff it back up. His mom had no idea how much effort it took to look cool did she?

"One day you'll understand." she promised him, kissing his forehead gently.

"Mom." he whined. Natalie held her hands up in surrender and rolled her eyes,  
"Alright alright!" she apologised. Her son was the spitting image of his father with sandy blonde hair and oceanic blue eyes that many a girl had fallen prey to, however he had also inherited her heterochromia in reverse and a tiny section of his left eye was her own bright emerald green.

Christopher George Kirk had been named after two of the most influential people in Jim's life, something Natalie had insisted on, and just like his namesakes he was clearly destined for greatness. He was striving to be just like his father, wanting to be a captain and have his own ship. His parent's whole heartedly supported him and that is why they had pushed him to do the summer camp this year.

Jim slipped his hand in Natalie's knowing she was saddened at their little bird leaving the nest, especially since he was the eldest and their first born. She gave him a smile, squeezing his hand lightly before they walked off after their son, who was quite happily strutting along with an air of confidence almost identical to his father's. They were quite close so it was no surprise. Jim was determined to be a good father after dealing with not knowing his and it showed through their relationship.

"Chris don't go too far!" Natalie called after him. Jim chuckled slightly and shook his head at her.

"You know he's leaving for six week's right?" he teased lightly. Natalie turned her glare on her husband and Jim shrank back with a sheepish grin, lifting her hand to his lips and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "We still have Fia." he reminded her. Natalie smiled a bit, thinking of their nine year old little girl back home staying with Grandma Winona back in Iowa. Humming in agreement she watched as their son shot a playful wink at a passing Cadet, making the girl snort and raise an eyebrow at him.

"Just like his father alright." she laughed.

"I was better at it than that." he denied with a laugh.

Natalie smiled,  
"Only because you were arrogant, I taught our son humility." she teased. The pair laughed, knowing their son wouldn't be short of female company this summer but also trusting him implicitly to be fair and sensible with the ladies' hearts, Natalie had taught him to be respectful after all. She tried to clamp down on the urge to call him back to them for she knew that he'd be much much further away soon, well today was the day after all.

"Space is fine an' all until you get a case of Andorian Shingles." a female voice grumbled. Her father hummed in agreement as they walked slowly along the pathway, heading towards the main plaza to meet up with the rest of their group. Chuckling to himself, Leonard 'Bones' McCoy threw an arm around his daughter's shoulders and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah but I inoculated you against that before we left home, remember?" he squeezed her shoulder comfortingly and Elizabeth McCoy sighed,  
"Dad do I really have to go?" she asked, her expression identical to her father's. Nodding his head he kissed her temple, ignoring the way her nose wrinkled in distaste.

"Hmm, 'fraid so baby girl. It'll be good for you, you can make some new friends." he reasoned. She scoffed a bit,  
"You made sure I ain't the friendly type."

She didn't need to remind him once more that she'd inherited almost everything from him. Bones had never intended to have a drunken one night stand with Carol Marcus and it irritated him beyond belief that this had never happened to Jim in all his years of frolicking with women, but they had tried to make it work for a while to be good parents and when it hadn't worked out Carol had willingly handed over Liz into his care. Not that he minded though. After losing Joanna so many years back to Jocelyn he was relieved that he finally got to keep something he loved. Elizabeth was his pride and joy and Bones loved his little girl more than life itself.

They walked in silence for a while before she stopped, the rest of the group already was together in front of them and she stared up at Bones through his own big brown eyes with an expression he knew all to well. She wanted to talk and couldn't phrase it.

"What's on your mind?" he asked her, softly tucking a lock of her blonde hair (courtesy of Carol) behind her ear.

"They ain't goin' to like me." she stated, wrinkling her nose. Bones tilted his head at her in amusement.

"Nobody liked me either." he reminded her, "But look how that turned out." he gestured to the group of friends he trusted more than himself sometimes. Elizabeth sighed,  
"S'pose so." she mumbled, "But that doesn't mean I have to like it."

Bones smiled at her annoyed expression, one that was permanently etched into both their faces.

"That's it." he agreed, "But until your eighteen I get to order you to do these things." Her only reply was a scoff before they began walking again - she'd be eighteen in a few months anyway. Elizabeth had an affinity for medicine and had been training alongside her farther for as long as she could remember, she was sure to ace her exams when the time came but Bones was acutely aware that her...grumpy disposition, had led to a lack of friends. He didn't want that life for his daughter so he was trying to help her make a few. Still, after seventeen years of looking after her (and perhaps maybe spoiling her) to give her away to Starfleet for six weeks was mental torture for poor Bones. But he couldn't change his mind even if she wanted him too, not when today was the day.


	2. Chapter 2:The Long Goodbye

The excitement in the air was tangible, the delighted expressions of the former crewmates seemingly lighting up the pathway. It was ten o'clock in the morning and the sun was already pretty high in the sky, beating down and illuminating the happy scene. Cadets walked around them, looking at them curiously before recognising the infamous crew and hurrying past with their heads bowed, whispering furiously. Chris could see the pure joy in his dad's face. A crew he had brought together so long ago that had remained inseparable friends despite the odds against them, had finally come back together. They were all hugs and smiles and greetings. The other kids stood by their parents, looking slightly wary and nervous, so Chris decided it was his charisma that would have to break the ice. Dropping his bag on the floor he stuffed one hand in the pockets of his cargo shorts, waving with the other.

"Hey, Chris Kirk." he introduced himself, "They seem happy enough right?" he joked, nodding at his mom who was enthusiastically hugging the dark skinned woman he thought might have been her best friend Nyota Uhura.

"It seems so." one of the two girls agreed, stepping forward and extending a hand. Chris shook it with a grin, eyes raking up and down her form to evaluate the girl as she introduced herself, "It's nice to meet you all, I'm Kaiyo Sulu." Her caramel coloured skin reminded Chris of a leggy blonde he knew back home in Iowa but he quickly pushed that thought out of his head…it was one of a few flings he preferred to forget if he was honest. She was rather petite, barely coming up much further than the middle of his chest - then again Chris was a rather tall six foot two already. Her jet black hair shimmered like black satin when she tilted her head and her dark eyes held such depth that one glance told him she was highly intelligent. Clearly she and her father were of Japanese descent, and Chris wondered briefly if she'd ever been to Japan because her accent was strangely smooth and hard to place, much like her father's.

Chris glanced around at the rest of the group, watching as a tall boy that had come with the small Scotsman eagerly lunged for her hand. He was clearly quite enthusiastic and Chris chuckled as he pumped her arm vigorously, ignoring her slightly horrified expression.

"That's a beautiful name lass. I'm Maxwell, but everyone calls me Max so you can call me Max too." he insisted. He was fairly tall, maybe a few inches shorter than Chris but still tall and looking very much like a mini version of his father, his Scottish brogue rather heavy but still understandable. His blue eyes shone with excitement and his scruffy brown hair was haphazardly fluffed on his head. He didn't appear to be too muscular but must have had one hell of a grip because Kaiyo cradled her hand briefly with a small grimace before forcing a polite smile. Chris watched as Max tried to drag the Vulcan kid into the conversation next.

He stood taller than Chris at six foot four, towering over his mother and coming up an inch taller than his father who had (like his son) clasped his hands behind his back. His hair was in a similar bowl cut to his dad's but with his mother's dark brown hair and his father's big brown eyes were circling the group, sizing them up. Chris could see the pointed ears that signified his part Vulcan genes poking upward toward the sky, the almost graceful arcs of his thin black brows gave him a more intellectual look.

"I am Fistrinn." he stated, inclining his head politely and adding, "It is pleasing to make your acquaintance at last." Chris felt a knowing smile tug at his lips; his dad had warned him of how impassive and blunt Vulcans could be. Fistrinn seemed to gravitate towards Kaiyo who had politely greeted him in Vulcan much to his surprise. If Chris was perfectly honest, he was pleasantly surprised himself at the emotion that flit through the Vulcan's eyes. He wasn't as stoic as his father and that made him just a little more bearable. Chris's eyes landed on the only boy to have not spoken yet. Stepping forward he offered him a hand and shook it firmly, seeing the boy's dark green eyes shine with relief. He introduced himself as Anton Chekov, and Chris watched Kaiyo's expression change completely before she spoke in what he guessed was Russian. Anton's face lit up and he animatedly responded to her in his mother tongue, beaming with joy as she grinned with pride.

"So you've got a talented tongue then?" Chris asked with a charming grin, making Kaiyo blush a bit. She had gravitated towards the nervous Russian boy and both looked up at him with varying expressions. Kaiyo appeared amused at his attempt to flirt but Anton seemed almost confused as to what he was implying.

"I have an affinity for languages yes." Kaiyo agreed, "I hope to be a communications officer one day." Max bounced into the conversation with his usual perky demeanour, throwing an arm around her shoulders and nearly knocking her off of her feet.

"Ah! We could be working on the bridge together lass! I'll be a top class tactical navigator and I'll use my skills when yer struggling to negotiate peace." he chirped.

Kaiyo laughed slightly,  
"What about you Anton? What do you want to be?" she asked him.

The Russian boy hummed slightly,  
"I would like to work in engineering." his heavy accent made him speak a little slower so his words were understandable but Chris was impressed with the fluency he spoke both languages with. Max quickly struck up an animated conversation with him about what that would be like and what his courses would entail at Starfleet, leaving the poor nervous kid to try and keep up as Kaiyo muttered things to him in Russian that made him smile. Chris had barely noticed her before (she hadn't exactly made an attempt to introduce herself) but seeing Fistrinn's gaze locked on someone to his right he turned away from the loose group of teens and the gaggle of parents to see her stood by herself, scowling at the ground as she hugged her waist, hair blowing in the wind.

Fistrinn stepped forward, looking down at her as her head snapped up and she stared at the Vulcan boy before her. Her expression was fairly bitter, with her eyebrows furrowed slightly and her lips pressed into a line while her narrowed eyes glared up at him. Chris noticed (with some amusement) that her expression was identical to a man he assumed was her father. Both appeared to be quite grumpy despite how happy he could see the man was to be with his father and the rest of his friends again through his actions.

"You seem distressed." Fistrinn noted, "You do not wish to be here so why did you come?" Chris almost choked on the air he was breathing, deciding to hurry over to keep the peace as the girls expression became that much more sour,  
"My dad made me." Her accent was as southern as her fathers, if not a tiny bit heavier. Chris guessed she'd never been out of wherever she was from for a long period of time to make it a bit more subtle.

Fistrinn cocked an eyebrow,  
"Your father cannot make you do anything. It is you who has allowed him to force you into this situation." he replied, and surprised Chris with hint the hint of sarcasm in his voice. The girl's eyebrows rose incredulously on her head and Chris could hear his dad behind him, muttering about how 'she's inherited the eyebrow thing from you Bones'. The girl's arms folded over her chest, a scoff escaping her lips as her stinging glare raked over the taller boy.

"Oh really? It's my fault huh? And I'm supposed to spend six weeks with you." she huffed. Chris quickly stepped in to try and ease some of the tension beginning to ripple between them, envisioning a fist fight breaking out.

"Hey, Chris, Chris Kirk. You're Mr McCoy's daughter right?" he guessed. The girl whipped her head around to face him, her sour expression falling back into her less threatening bitter one as opposed to the venomous glare she was aiming at the Vulcan boy. Her eyes were the colour of dark chocolate, beautiful and honest and less grumpy than the rest of her face, and they complimented her skin tone wonderfully. She was a light bronze colour, flawlessly tanned to perfection with a slender hour glass figure. Her hair was blonde, dead straight near the top but ending in loose curls that she'd pulled back into a ponytail. Suspicion clouded her eyes and Chris cocked an eyebrow slightly as she nodded once, begrudgingly shaking his hand like it was going to bite her.

"That's me." she agreed. Chris saw Fistrinn walk away with a slight huff and chuckled,  
"I think you made him mad."

The girl just rolled her eyes a bit, staring after the Vulcan with that sour expression back on her face. If looks could kill Chris had no doubt the Vulcan boy would be six feet under and then some.

"Pointy eared bastard." she grumbled under her breath, "And people say _I'm_ rude." Chris almost laughed, but thought it best not to as he gestured towards the group behind them,  
"You should come meet the others. They're pretty cool you know...fair warning though, Max is a little overzealous." he smiled, attempting to be friendly and not come off as trying to hit on her.

She wrinkled her nose a bit, her eyes sizing up the group and her expression telling him she didn't like that idea at all. Chris was acutely aware of his father's gaze, knowing it well from childhood and sensing it on his back as he interacted with the girl. Seeing he was getting nowhere, he gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her with him, taking the full force of her glare as he tugged her along and chuckling as she demanded he let her go.

"You can't spend six weeks on your own so suck it up and say hi." he said encouragingly. The girl just huffed and glared heatedly at the ground, almost looking as though she wished it would swallow her whole.

"I don't like people and people don't like me so quit trying, hick." she growled.

Fistrinn sighed,  
"A fact that is painfully obvious, you are not very endearing." he agreed, the sarcasm heavy in his tone. His mother scolded him but the girl just scoffed,  
"Don't agree with me pointy, it creeps me out." she shot back.

Chris rolled his eyes a little, running a hand through his already tousled hair and shrugging at his dad.

"She's a lot like her farther Georgie." he chuckled, clapping his shoulder. His dad was the only one who got to call Chris Georgie, something Chris made blatantly clear to anyone who tried it. "Chris, this is Bones. Bones, Chris grew a little taller since you last saw him." Jim Kirk smiled proudly at his son who shook hands with the grumpy looking man, surprised when he actually smiled a bit.

"Damn well has. Last time we met the kids were what? Three?" he guessed. Chris became vaguely aware of the girl bickering with Fistrinn about derogatory references to his ears and Bones rolled his eyes, "Dammit Liz, would it kill you to be nice for five minutes?" he grumbled.

Chris raised an eyebrow,  
"Liz? So, you're called Elizabeth then right?" Chris questioned, gaining the attention of both Fistrinn and Liz. The girl sighed a little, looking done with the whole ordeal.

"Congratulations Kirk, you have a brain cell." she scowled at him and Chris grinned,  
"Several actually, not bad for a hick huh?" he teased.

She huffed, a small smirk gracing her features,  
"It's a miracle you know how to get dressed in the morning." she remarked with a sneer.

Chris knew it wasn't meant as a snide comment (even as Fistrinn protested it was) and burst out laughing, walking over to sling an arm around her shoulders much to her annoyance. Fistrinn eyed him confusedly as the other teens eyed the girl warily, clearly not seeing the endearing side of her like Chris was beginning to.

"I think that you need to learn to lighten up." he announced, seeing Bones watching amusedly, folding his arms over his chest.

"Good luck with that kid." he chuckled gruffly. Elizabeth groaned,  
"Dad!" she complained. Bones just shrugged in response and his daughter shot him one last pleading look, "Please don't make me do this!"

Bones just sighed,  
"Relax baby girl, you're in good company, even if you don't see it." he promised, reaching over to put his hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly.

"Yeah, it won't be all bad." Max chimed in while she shrugged off Chris's arm.

"Fine, fine." she grumbled, "But don't expect me to smile about it."

Chris grinned,  
"Wouldn't dream of it Lizzie, you smile when you're ready and maybe, if we're lucky, we might just be able to make you laugh to." he quipped, "We're short a helmsman but we could make our own crew." he added playfully. Seeing Elizabeth's annoyed but confused look he elaborated, "Well we have communications, navigation, engineering, tactical, I'm assuming science and I'm in the running for command, you're medical right?" Elizabeth just sighed, nodding once and rolling her eyes skyward, hands twisting into the hem of her shirt being the only sign she was nervous now.

"Wonderful, so we can run a ship we just can't fly one." she said sarcastically.

"Must you always be so pessimistic?" Fistrinn asked with a sigh. She glared at him again and Chris couldn't help but see a pattern forming, endeavouring to keep the pair at least three feet away from one another at all times.

"I'm not a pessimist, I'm a realist." she retorted bitterly. Fistrinn opened his mouth to argue but thought better of it apparently and closed it again. Their parents watched with varying degrees of amusement as their children got to know one another, continuous bickering breaking out between Fistrinn and Elizabeth. Bones and Spock shared a look that spoke volumes – for once in his life the Vulcan looked amused.

"They're just like we were." Bones noted.

Spock nodded once,  
"Then it seems only logical to conclude that they will one day form a strong friendship." he reasoned. Bones rolled his eyes a bit but hummed in agreement, giving Jim an irritated glare after he had nudged him in the ribs when Elizabeth's eyebrow rose in an identical way to his.

"She's so like you." he chuckled. Kaiyo and Anton seemed to have hit it off and Hikaru and Pavel were immensely enjoying watching the pair of them try to learn Japanese together. Spock and Nyota watched Fistrinn allow a ghost of a smile to cross his lips when speaking to Chris, already well aware that a great friendship was forming their as it had once done between Spock and Jim.

"Max is all over the place." Natalie laughed, nudging Scotty who merely chuckled in response,  
"Aye, he's an energetic lad but he can be a wee bit boisterous." Scotty admitted.

They watched as Max clapped Chris's shoulder hard enough to make him stumble, but the sandy haired blue eyed boy merely laughed it off and hit him back playfully. Kaiyo and Anton tentatively engaged Elizabeth in conversation, the girl's bitter expression breaking into a slightly softer one that let Bones know she had resigned herself to the fact she was here to stay and was trying to play nice. She didn't smile (just as she had promised) but they seemed to grow less weary of her and more accepting of her attitude. Chris and Fistrinn joined them eventually and despite the roll of her eyes Elizabeth seemed to accept the Vulcan's presence, Max's animated ramblings about all things explosive keeping them all entertained. Their parents at least were satisfied that over the next six weeks, they would look out for and after each other.

The former crew of the now retired Enterprise glanced at one another with secret smiles - they were almost certain they were looking at the future bridge crew of Starfleet's future flagship.

"We're still on for the dinner later right?" Jim checked with his friends, winding an arm around his wife's waist and brushing his lips over her temple. They all immediately nodded their heads and turned to see one of the Academy instructors hurrying to greet them. She was a small woman with corkscrew curls that spilled in an auburn wave over her shoulders. Her eyes were a bright and unnatural icy blue and her skin was so pale she was almost translucent. Her grey uniform almost camouflaged her among the silver buildings on the horizon. It was almost as though she didn't want to be seen. She held a clipboard in her hand and glanced at the teenagers all getting along happily (well somewhat happily in Elizabeth's case) with an almost predatory gaze. It made Bones' skin crawl even though he passed it off as just the nerves of having to spend so long without his daughter.

"You are all here for the summer camp, yes?" she checked, bright eyes raking over the teenagers and before landing on their parents. Spock's head cocked when he saw the satisfied look in the glowing orbs of her eyes and glanced at his friends to see if they had spotted it to, but nobody else appeared to be uncomfortable and so he brushed it off as a trick of the light. The teens fell silent, knowing it was time as their parents merely gave a silent nod. "Please collect your bags and sign next to your name." she instructed with a dazzling smile. Jim noticed their hesitance, even the enthusiastic Max seemed unwilling to make a move and he realised they were all nervous. Six weeks was a long time when they were used to living with their families, but he was proud to see Chris step up like the leader he wanted to be and sign the sheet, grabbing his duffel bag and turning to face the others with a grin.

Fistrinn was next, then Max, and after a quick and not too reassuring complaint about solar flares (that Bones reprimanded her amusedly for) Elizabeth lead the way for Kaiyo and Anton. With all of their bags shouldered the teens endured last minute hugs and kisses, and Chris couldn't help but hang back for the reluctant Elizabeth as she said goodbye to her dad. Just like a good captain he made sure no man was left behind. Bones kissed her forehead gently, pushing her back to get a good luck at her face.

"You can call anytime you want remember." he reminded her quietly, not letting go of the grip he had on her shoulders. She nodded her head, no longer looking grumpy but more forlorn than anything. Jim sent Chris a very obvious look and knowing how much his dad's friendship with Bones meant to him and nodded in agreement - he would look after Elizabeth as best he could.

"Love you baby girl." he murmured gruffly, clearly fighting tears.

"I love you to daddy." she whispered, giving him one last bone crushing hug before she pulled back, her bitter expression back on her face, "But I still hate you for making me do this." she added.

Bones chuckled,  
"I'd be disappointed if you didn't." he admitted, giving her a little push as Chris helpfully called out she was going to be late if she didn't hurry up. Elizabeth cast an annoyed glance over her shoulder and rolled her eyes.

"You know, my daddy warned me about boys as persistent as you." she called back, but Chris Kirk could have sworn there was a hint of a smile fighting to grace her lips. She held back however and Chris was left wondering what a smile would look like on her. She looked beautiful with a scowl and he could only imagine a smile would make her radiant.

"You haven't seen anything yet." Chris promised her, slinging an arm over her shoulder and walking with her towards the rest of the group. Their parents watched as they were led towards one of the shuttles that had touched down on the pathway for them. Bones looked at his old friend with a slight glare, the deadly intent behind his eyes making Jim raise an eyebrow at him.

"Jim, I'm fond of you...but your kid better keep it in his pants." he warned him. Jim just laughed and shook his head.

"He's got a little more humility than that Bones...he'll ask you first." Jim replied, grinning at the dark glare on his friends face while his wife tried to placate the man imagining what it would be like to castrate a Kirk. "So...how about we go catch that movie then?" Jim suggested. There were general hums of agreement from the group (who were looking forward to seeing their movie and then spending dinner together) for it had been far too long since they'd met up like this, and with the weekend to catch up they were looking forward to seeing what they could get up to, wondered what trouble they could cause. Turning, they watched the shuttle that held their children lift off, heading in a wide arch up towards the Space Dock so they could get on the ship they needed to reach Tarsus IV, unaware that their children were looking down on them. Chris had sat himself on the left near the window, Elizabeth cocooned between him and Max with Kaiyo, Anton and Fistrinn sat behind him. He heard her sigh slightly and shot her a comforting smile, seeing the discomfort on her face.

"Well here we are, boldly going where...most kids have admittedly gone before." Chris chuckled. Elizabeth merely shot him an unimpressed look.

"Six weeks of this." she grumbled, "God help me."


	3. Chapter 3: The Start of Something

The USS Gemini was a commercial class transport ship, small and agile yet spacious enough to comfortably provide rooms for all of them and the three other science officers headed to Tarsus IV and New Vulcan. It was roughly only really two days away with warp factor five (three at the most), so there was no need to unpack. His room was nice enough for a few days stay but it wasn't _his._ He had an en-suite bathroom with a fantastic sonic shower he'd already used just for the hell of it - and decided he loved. The desk held a communications panel for contact with other rooms, the mess hall and transmissions - it was nice to know he could send a message home. There was a single bunk bed built into the wall, enough storage room underneath for his duffel bag and a small closet to the left of his door when he walked in that he wasn't planning on using.

His pyjamas rested at the foot of his bed, his leather jacket slung over the back of the rolling desk chair that was placed neatly under the desktop to make it feel a little more lived in. It was all very drab and grey though, rather depressing almost but a welcome relief from the harsh light of the corridors on the stark white coloured walls. It was almost clinical in a way. They'd waited half an hour before take-off, and he'd spent at least three quarts of an hour just poking around the ship before he came to unpack his pyjamas and toothbrush. They'd been gone for almost three hours and he fancied some lunch if he was honest, not having eaten anything since nine that morning. It was warm enough on the ship and so he left his jacket behind him, heading out of the door down the long twisting corridor. He knew the way to the mess hall well enough after his ship wide exploration… and knew where all of the others were sleeping that night too. Chris had made it his job to know since he was now tasked with looking after Bones' daughter, who really didn't want to be here.

Shaking his head bemusedly he took another left and heard the whoosh of the doors as they opened for him, letting him enter the all but empty mess hall. One of the science officers that had boarded with them was sitting alone in the corner, his eyes trained on a PADD and his hand curled around a steaming mug of coffee. Chris headed towards one of five replicators lined up on the wall, activating its comm unit before requesting his lunch.

"Computer, I want a sausage bacon and egg sandwich, hot and no butter with a cold glass of orange juice please." He ordered.

"Ah, orange juice is good, yes?" a heavily accented voice agreed. Chris turned his head as his food began to materialize with a small grin, seeing Anton glance up at him (since he was perhaps two inches smaller than Chris) before moving to the replicator beside him and ordering his own lunch. A simple turkey club sandwich and some water for the engineer to be. Chris took his lunch, waiting patiently for Anton who seemed surprised when he asked where they were going to sit. Anton chose a circular table near the window, his eyes tracing over the stars streaking by them as they ate in silence. Sipping at the cold glass of orange juice, Chris decided to break the silence with a question,  
"So what made you want to be an engineer? Your dad was a navigator right?"

Anton looked up at him, blinking in surprise as he wiped his mouth over with napkin self-consciously. Anton swallowed, taking a sip of water before he replied,  
"My father was, yes, but I do not want to be. I am just as good at ze calculations, but in engineering...there is more freedom. I can make what I want, and there will always be new equipment awailable to tinker with, and it requires you to think on your feet." his voice was slow, thoughtful, and Chris could see he had put a lot of thought into just what path he chose and why. He nodded in understanding, licking the escaped egg yolk off of his hand. "What about you? You wish to be a keptin like your farther?" Anton enquired, taking another bite of his sandwich. Chris nodded without hesitation, a grin stretching across his lips as he imagined himself in a gold shirt.

"Definitely. My grandpa George was a captain too...well, not for long but he saved 800 lives. Dad was captain of the Enterprise for years and met my mom doing it...and Chris Pike too, he was a great captain and taught my dad a lot. I'm going to be just like them one day." Chris stated proudly. Anton smiled a little at the obvious enthusiasm his peer had.

"It would seem like a logical choice given your family's history for you to strive towards a command position. May I join you?" both boys looked up to see Fistrinn towering above them, a strange looking salad in his hand and a glass of water. Chris kicked the chair out for him, sitting back in his chair and sipping at his OJ. It wasn't as good as the homemade stuff nana Winona used to make. Chris could still remember the crisp, sweet taste of the fresh OJ she would always keep a jug of about for him and Fia – when they had time to visit that is since it was rare they saw her nowadays. Anton looked over his shoulder and Chris glanced behind him to notice Max was busy at a replicator while Kaiyo and Elizabeth spoke quietly by the door, the blonde girl eyeing the window warily. Chris saw they were short of chairs and quickly pulled two up, making sure there was enough room for everyone at the table.

Anton frowned a bit,  
"She is incredibly moody, I wonder why?" he mumbled. Chris snorted quietly, smothering a smile with his hand as the girls finally entered and went to grab lunch. Max had bounded over by then and sat down with a smile, ravenously attacking his hamburger and stuffing fries in his mouth.

"Good god man! You keep eating like that and I'll see you in medical to pump your stomach." a familiar voice grumbled. Chris looked up to see Elizabeth and Kaiyo joining them at the table. Max looked up, cheeks stuffed with foods and a confused eyebrow cocked on his forehead looking like some sort of comical chipmunk. Elizabeth just grimaced and dug into her own lunch, which was a much healthier chicken and bacon salad. Kaiyo was already striking up conversation with Anton again and Chris couldn't help but notice that the pair were almost in a world of their own. Clearly there was some attraction there. Elizabeth was chewing thoughtfully on a piece of chicken when Max managed to swallow his food and ask her what pumping his stomach would entail. The whole table groaned a bit as Elizabeth shot him a glare, remaining silent and glancing at her salad a little apprehensively.

"Not a dinner table topic." Kaiyo said, scrunching up her nose.

"Sorry." he apologised with a shrug before stuffing more fries into his mouth, "The foods pretty neat huh!" he grinned up at them and Chris heard Elizabeth moan quietly, pushing her food away from her.

"It was until I saw it in your mouth." she muttered under her breath. Chris chuckled and nudged her plate back at her with his knuckles.

"Plate needs to be clean." he teased. Elizabeth merely pursed her lips together thinly, eyebrows furrowing even further as she turned her sour expression on him, forcing down another strip of bacon before pushing the plate back again defiantly. Damn she was stubborn. The table fell awkwardly silent then and even with his Kirk charisma Chris couldn't think of how to strike up another conversation. It was actually the ship wide comm that broke the silence for him.

"We are twenty minutes away from New Vulcan, repeat, we will be arriving at New Vulcan in twenty minutes." the captains voice was gravelly and male, commanding attention and oozing authority.

Fistrinn frowned slightly, placing his hands in his lap and sitting straight in his chair.

"I did not know we were making a stop at New Vulcan." he said.

Chris shrugged,  
"Dropping off one of the science officers I expect." he replied, thinking on his feet to try and get the conversation flowing again, "Your dad was a science officer right?"

Fistrinn arched an eyebrow,  
"He still is." he said, but he added nothing more which dashed Chris's hopes of keeping the silence at bay.

"Do you want to be one too?" Max wondered curiously, tilting his head at the Vulcan teen before him. Fistrinn nodded once, mumbled a quite 'indeed' and fell silent once more.

"You'd both be in a blue uniform then." Kaiyo chipped in, nodding at Elizabeth who had discreetly finished off the rest of her salad and was now silently sipping at her water. Chris could see the distaste in her eyes at the mention of it and frowned in confusion.

"You don't want to be a medical officer in Starfleet?" he asked her. Elizabeth shrugged, averting her gaze to the window and watching the stars pass by before grimacing and turning back to face the group.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I don't know. Dad said that he enjoyed it, said he didn't regret saying yes even though he didn't want to at the time...but I ain't my dad. I like our little practice and how we run it now...I don't know for sure if I want to leave that." she confessed quietly. Chris hummed thoughtfully, trying to imagine her living a small-town life somewhere in the south and enjoying it. Her usually bitter expression became a miserable one and he slowly shook his head, ridding himself of that image and imagining her in a blue medical uniform instead. A small smirk twitched his lips upwards when he imagined just what her jeans were hiding and what the uniform would reveal.

"Nah, you'll join Starfleet." he said decidedly. Elizabeth turned her sharp gaze on him and raised an eyebrow, silently challenging him. "You won't be happy with some small-town life forever. You love your dad a lot but even that won't make you stay...you'll want to find where you fit in eventually, you'll want more than just the life your dad can provide. You'll want passion, adventure, maybe a little danger too. You'll find that in Starfleet, not some Alabama doctor's practice." he said wisely. Elizabeth stared at him for a moment, her dark eyes meeting his own ocean blue ones and letting him know he'd struck a chord with her before she scoffed slightly and closed herself off again.

"I come from Georgia actually, dumb hick." she grumbled, but again she was clearly fighting a smile. Chris just grinned back at her when Max suddenly spoke up,  
"Hey, he left his PADD."

Standing up the gangly Scott headed to the table the science officer had previously sat at and picked up his PADD. "I'll be back in a minute, better return this to him." Max said absent-mindedly, already heading for the door.


	4. Chapter 4: Suspicious Events

Chris surveyed the group sitting with him at breakfast the next morning, struggling to understand just what was making him so uncomfortable. It was a gut feeling, something niggling and off putting that was making sure he didn't enjoy his pancake stack like he wanted too, something that was telling him something was wrong. The irritating thing was he couldn't put his finger on what. Fistrinn had long since finished his scrambled eggs and was languidly sipping at his mug of some special Vulcan tea he loved. Anton was explaining his idea to improve warp core efficiency to include some sort of early warning system if it was going to leak that his dad had come up with while Fistrinn was calmly pointing out holes in his theories or calculations as Kaiyo watched amusedly. Elizabeth had sat with her back to the window, nursing a steaming mug of coffee in her hands and finishing the last bite of her grilled cheese sandwich. Something was wrong, something wasn't right, but he couldn't tell what.

"Where's Max this morning? I didn't think he'd miss breakfast the way he ate yesterday." Kaiyo spoke up, nose wrinkling as she remembered lunch. Suddenly it clicked into place, Max wasn't here.

"I haven't seen him." Elizabeth mumbled, Fistrinn and Anton both seconding that. Chris's frown deepened, a feeling of unease settling over him as he sat up straighter and drained his mug of coffee.

"Come to think of it he wasn't at dinner last night either." he thought aloud. The table fell silent, glancing at one another confusedly before Chris propelled himself to his feet, his quick movements startling Elizabeth into a full state of alertness. "I'm going to go look for him." Chris announced, turning on his heel and heading for the door. He was already dressed for the day in a faded pair of jeans and grey short sleeve button down shirt, wanting to be somewhat smart when they arrived at camp later that day. He was surprised to find the sound of boots echoing off of the floor behind him and turned to see Elizabeth striding towards him with purpose.

"I can check medical, see if he was in there or if he still is in case he hurt himself. Kid was a klutz so it wouldn't surprise me." she snorted. Chris nodded once. Elizabeth was hardly dressed to impress but she still looked rather pretty. Her black skinny jeans and black leather boots gave her quite a dark aura with the smallest wedge heel adding a few inches to her height. She could quite comfortably rest her chin on his shoulder now if she wanted to. A slightly curvy chest was kept in check with a white tank top and plaid blue button down she'd left undone as a sort of over shirt. Her blonde hair had been left loose to tumble down her back, but there was a black hair tie on her wrist so she could sling it up if necessary. She was already walking away from him, strides quick and long giving her a slight bounce as she walked.

"I'll check his room!" Chris called after her, seeing her hand lift in acknowledgement before she disappeared around the corner. Sighing to himself he made a mental note to try a little harder to make her more sociable later before taking the corridor before the one she had disappeared down. He wandered through the arch marvelling in the lack of security. There were hardly any crew members on this ship. Chris had never seen the bridge crew nor the lady that had picked them up after she'd assigned them all rooms in different parts of the ship. The USS Gemini had a cold, clinical feel to it with stark white décor and dull grey floors and rooms - at least other Starships had more illumination to give the whiteness a welcoming glow rather than the dull faded look the Gemini had.

There were only ever two people patrolling the corridors that Chris had ever seen and all of the science officers that had boarded with them seemed to have gotten off yesterday at New Vulcan. He stopped outside of Max's room, hand passing over the control panel to chime the bell. He could hear it ringing, but no matter how many times he tried he couldn't hear Max getting up to answer him inside. He didn't know the override codes and thought hacking in would be a bit extreme...that was if he could even do it, so turned and headed back for the mess hall to report his findings. None of the others looked particularly concerned and so Chris tried to relax, tried to dismiss the uneasy feeling sweeping over him as nerves since he was so far from home. Elizabeth's hurried appearance however ten minutes later brought it all flooding back. She sat in her chair and swallowed thickly, her bitter expression had turned to one of pure panic and he knew she wasn't someone who was phased by much.

"Don't look but did someone follow me in?" she asked, voice wavering a bit. Chris shot a look at the others who were struggling not to react, but their eyes were as alarmed as Chris felt. Swallowing thickly he glanced over at the man dressed in white who sat across from them.

"Yes. What did you do?" Fistrinn asked, sounding faintly annoyed as he arched an eyebrow, the only one of them who seemed calm. Chris could feel his stomach churning and his palms beginning to sweat.

Elizabeth shot Fistrinn a glare,  
"Listen you pointy eared bastard I didn't do anything and don't you dare blame me for-"

"Lizzie." Chris hissed, "You're attracting attention, stop it." he threw an arm over the back of her chair and leaned a little closer, seeing the doctor that had come in eyeing her warily before he turned back to his PADD. Elizabeth swallowed thickly, looking Chris dead in the eyes. The confusion and anxiety he saw in those dark chocolate orbs only made him worry more. "What's going on? Did you find something in medical bay?" Chris asked quietly. By now the rest of the group had leaned in to hear what was happening. Elizabeth nodded her head jerkily and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly to regain some of her composure before she launched into her story,  
"I went to check medical like I said I would and I found him, Max I mean. He was in med-bay on a biobed and...they…he'd been poisoned."

Chris felt his stomach drop and Elizabeth quickly reprimanded them to act like it was nothing, so he laughed to cover it up and shook his head with a playful smile.

"Poisoned?" Kaiyo whispered with a smile that looked a little strained. Elizabeth nodded and since her back was to the doctor watching them, she didn't have to hide her pale complexion and anxious frown.

"Don't worry, he's not dying anymore at least. I looked over his vitals and all his information, they slipped it him last night and they weren't gonna cure him either. So I slipped him the antidote before I left med-bay and he'll be fine in a few hours, wake up and feel a little woozy maybe but he'll live. Then that doctor got suspicious of me and followed me back here. Why would they poison Max? What if he read somethin' on that PADD and they tried to kill him for it?" Chris reached out and gave her hand a small squeeze, trying to reassure her despite the fact his own stomach had swooped nauseously.

"Easy now, we can't just assume that. But it is suspicious. We need to do some investigating." he agreed quietly.

Fistrinn arched an eyebrow slightly,  
"In the highly unlikely event that there are suspicious events occurring aboard this vessel, how would we go about discovering these events and, if they do exist, how would we react to them?" he asked, glancing around the group. They all frowned thoughtfully, contemplating Fistrinn's words before Chris spoke up to try and give them a bit of morale. His father would try to do that.

"No clue, but if we don't find out what's going on we might all end up like poor Max. We take it one step at a time, first step is getting the information we need." he said decisively. Kaiyo glanced at Anton, her frown turning to a look of realisation.

"You could hack into the computer system right?" she enquired. Anton's frown deepened and he shifted nervously in his seat when all eyes turned to him.

"Well... _da_." he said slowly, looking entirely unwilling to do so. Kaiyo wrinkled her nose at his obvious reluctance, looking disappointed.

"This is Max Anton, he's been poisoned...we have to find out why." she insisted quietly. Anton seemed to shrink under her gaze and begrudgingly gave in making Chris relax slightly, he liked knowing there was a plan.

"Alright then. Girls, you should go together back to Kaiyo's room, it's closer to mine. Anton, Fistrinn you'll come with me to my room. Anton can use the panel on the desk in my room to hack in so even if it's traced it won't be traced to you." he assured the nervous Russian kid. "We'll meet you at lunch to tell you if we find anything. Keep acting normal though, they're watching us now so we need to be careful." he ordered. They all gave him imperceptible nods as Kaiyo stood up and quite deliberately invited Elizabeth to hang out with her. In her usual grumpy manner, Elizabeth accepted and the girls left. Chris waited five minutes impatiently before he stood up and left, the others following him. His heart was fluttering nervously in his chest and his palms were sweating by now, he was more nervous than he had ever been before. Somebody had poisoned Max? The kid was boisterous and loud sure but he wouldn't hurt a fly!

Chris felt dizzy with all the ideas spinning around in his mind, hand absent mindedly playing over the keypad to enter his code and unlock the door before motioning for the boys to head in with a smile, trying to keep up appearances that everything was fine. The doctor had followed them and passed by the door now as Chris rather deliberately asked if Fistrinn and Anton would mind watching an action movie over a comedy one. Anton was shifting nervously from foot to foot and Chris gave his shoulder a squeeze, directing him to his desk and pulling the chair out for him. Fistrinn had taken a seat on his bed, straight backed and offering no words of encouragement like the Russian needed. Chris decided to take charge.

"Can you access it?" he asked, peering over Anton's shoulder as his fingers slowly began to move over the panel and press a few buttons. Anton bobbed his head once in confirmation.

"Once I get past ze communication coding to gain access to ze ships full computer." he answered, voice fading slightly at the end as his fingers began to pick up speed. Chris watched him relax, entering a world of numbers and symbols that offered him more comfort with their familiarity than anything either Fistrinn or Chris could have said. It was oddly relaxing to Chris to watch him work so confidently. Chris sat back on his bed, leaning against the wall and swinging one leg unknowingly, hands clasped in his lap so he could twiddle his thumbs. He wished his dad was here, he would know exactly what to do and would have a plan by now... Fistrinn seemed to be thinking along the same lines as he was.

"In the event that there are suspicious events occurring on this ship it would only be logical to concoct some sort of plan should we endanger ourselves by learning of their plans." he spoke up, his voice as calm as ever. Chris nodded slowly, thumbs twiddling and brow puckered in thought. If they were in danger then they obviously couldn't stay here, he knew that was obvious. But how would they get off of the ship undetected? There were always the escape pods but if they jettisoned themselves into space they most likely would only be picked up by the ship again...unless they could find a planet.

"I have an idea-" Chris began, but Anton cut him off with a gasp and some frantic flapping of his arms that alarmed Chris more than it should have. He mentally berated himself, knowing his dad would remain calm. "What is it Anton?" he asked him, voice neutral and unwavering. Much better. He stood up to look over the young boy's shoulder who peered up at him sheepishly.

"Sorry...I managed to hack in. I was celebrating." he confessed. Fistrinn's brown eyes rolled and Chris stifled a smile by biting down on his lower lip and releasing it with a wet popping sound. Patting Anton's shoulder, Chris congratulated him before settling himself against the wall, looking back at Fistrinn to finish explaining what sort of plan he'd been thinking of.

"If we do find dangerous information we'd need to get off of the ship. These things have escape pods right? We plan it out and time it right to send out a distress signal with what we learn and launch ourselves onto a nearby planet." he proposed. Chris had grown up with his father's stories of how diligently his first officer had questioned him, how loyal his CMO had been despite his complaints and concerns about whatever stupid thing he had planned, how much pride he had looked over his crew with for the years they were in service. It all had made him want to be a captain too and as he had half expected Fistrinn had taken his father's position and was quickly dissecting his plan to make it as faultless as possible. With his eyebrow arched as it was it gave Fistrinn a slightly more intimidating look…not that Chris would ever admit to that.

"Escape pods being launched at warp is highly dangerous, the turbulence alone could kill us due to the organ shattering vibrations and if not the turbulence then the damage done to the escape pods would make it next to impossible for them to penetrate the atmosphere of a planet in-tact." Fistrinn informed him.

Chris's mind kicked into gear,  
"Then we cause some sort of malfunction in engineering so they have to drop out of warp." he shot back.

"The calculations alone to drop this vessel out of warp at the perfect angle at the right time are next to impossible." Fistrinn countered.

"Not if you have a Chekov to hand, which we do." Chris reminded him, pointing a finger at Anton who was still bent over the desk and working feverishly to find out what had happened. Fistrinn stood up this time and Chris was surprised to see annoyance flash through his eyes.

"What if the planet is not Class M and cannot sustain life?" Fistrinn demanded, "If we cannot stay here but cannot leave we will be no better off." Chris glared at him slightly, fists balling up at his sides as he tried to fight the urge to go at it some more with the Vulcan boy. His dad had never told him how annoying the whole questioning process actually was.

"Now who's being pessimistic? There's not guarantee there will be a Class M planet but there's no guarantee there won't be either." he retorted. Fistrinn's reply was cut off by a loud exclamation from Anton in Russian. Chris jumped slightly, turning to face the boy who was beaming up at them like he'd hit the jackpot.

"I found an electronic communication, here, read!" Anton urged them. Fistrinn and Chris peered over his shoulders to read through the communication he had brought up on the screen and Chris felt his stomach drop. They _had_ poisoned Max. Grimacing, he read on, forcing himself to digest the words. _Terminate the boy...careless fool left out his PADD...kill him too...kids come poking._ Chris schooled his expression into a mask of calm, frantically wondering what his dad would do in this situation. He'd want more information surely...so that was his next move.

"Great job Anton. Did you find anything else? Any other communications or files that have information on why Max was poisoned?" Chris asked him. Fistrinn tilted his head slightly, hands clasped behind his back formerly.

"Perhaps a good place to look would be the ships internal logs." he suggested, "They automatically store information such as how many lifeforms are present on the ship and coordinates and trajectories that the ship is travelling on." Chris nodded his head thoughtfully, wagging a finger at him and giving Anton's shoulder a squeeze when he saw the nervous glint that had come back into his eyes.

"That's a great idea Fistrinn. Can you do that from here?" Chris asked him. Anton bit his lip, half groaning and half whining. Anton didn't want to get into trouble and was clearly very reluctant to do something that might get him poisoned too. Chris narrowed his blue eyes on the boy, sending him a sharp glance that his father had used on him many times in the past, "Anton I know you're scared right now, we all are but that's why we have to do this. Max has been poisoned! If we don't want to end up the same way we have to find out why so we don't make the same mistake." he said firmly. Fistrinn arched an eyebrow at him but said nothing, his face giving away nothing either as Anton looked between them, shifting uncomfortably in his chair as he grumbled in Russian and returned his attention to the screen.

"I should be able to bring up ze ships internal logs." he agreed begrudgingly, "But after this I want no part in anymore hacking." he insisted, turning his dark green eyes up to them so they could see his stubborn intent to stick by his words. Chris reassured him that he wouldn't be made to do anything he didn't want to but knew he would be able to get him to do some more hacking if the need arose, he liked Anton but the boy didn't have that much self-confidence and consequently wouldn't say no. The tense silence enveloping the three of them made his muscles stiff and rigid, and his knuckles ached from being strained for so long in his clenched fists. Chris's eyes were glued to the screen while his mind flew over everything they knew so far. Max had definitely been poisoned by the crew aboard the Gemini and if not for Elizabeth would most likely be dead, he had read something on that PADD that had made them poison him which meant it couldn't be good...and they were all in danger now.

His plan with the escape pods was sketchy at best, a slap-dash thought with an impulsive layer of reckless abandon that may well be more dangerous than the poisonous crew of the Gemini. His dad wouldn't have stood for a member of his crew being threatened like that, wouldn't stand by and wait for the rest of them to be poisoned either, and _his_ plan would most likely be just as impulsive and dangerous as the one Chris had come up with. But Chris knew deep down in his bones that as crazy as it was his plan would work, because he was a Kirk and they could pull off incredible feats of brave stupidity under impossible circumstances and still be home in time for dinner - at least that's what his mother had once said.

"Christopher?" Fistrinn called his name and brought his attention back to the present. His eyes briefly glanced up at Fistrinn, who inclined his head towards the desk to let Chris know that Anton had done it. His eyes scanned over the information presented to him and he felt his stomach curl unpleasantly. An airlock had opened last night about three hours after Max had departed from the mess hall, most likely the scientists careless enough to leave his PADD lying about being blown out into space as punishment for his stupidity. They hadn't stopped at New Vulcan (which made sense now he looked back on it because even for a small ship like the Gemini New Vulcan wasn't three hours away from home) and weren't headed for Tarsus IV. In fact, their new destination was much much worse, and Chris had to turn away for a moment so they wouldn't see the panic on his face and he had a chance to settle his stomach.


	5. Chapter 5: A Plan in the Making

What alarmed Chris the most was the new destination they were suddenly aware of. Though he didn't know the planet he did know the system and Chris was aware of one crucial fact that seemed to have shocked Fistrinn just as much.

"That's the Orion System." they said in unison.

Anton frowned a bit,  
"I do not understand." he confessed. Chris was trying to think of a way to put it gently but Fistrinn beat him to the punch,  
"Orion's are notorious for slave trading. Though most Orion's are fairly pleasant the Orion System is littered with pirates and gangs like the Orion Syndicate, who would not hesitate to enslave anyone on board this ship and sell them to the highest bidder at one of their many markets." he stated bluntly.

Anton looked visibly shocked, fear flitting across his features and settling in his dark green eyes. Chris mentally groaned but tried to smile reassuringly at the nervous boy, ignoring the way his own stomach had fallen through the floor.

"I'm sure that's not going to happen to us though." he said. Anton looked unconvinced and Fistrinn had to make it worse by saying,  
"Actually I calculate the likelihood that we are to be a slave offering at 96.43%." Anton let out a squeak of shock and ran a hand through his curly hair. "It would be useful however if this suspicion were to be confirmed." he added, glancing between his human companions and sensing he'd crossed a line.

Chris stared at him incredulously, feeling his sweaty palms come back to haunt him as he took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly. Anton was already tapping away frantically at the keys, searching through the files on the screen in an effort to prove Fistrinn wrong. Chris didn't fancy being a slave either if he was perfectly honest and suddenly didn't particularly care about his previous worries of crappy summer camp food. Anton's face paled considerably and Chris worried for a moment that he would faint before he shot out of the chair and began pacing anxiously, muttering under his breath in Russian. Chris left Fistrinn to see what Anton had found and instead grabbed the Russian kid by the shoulders, shaking him lightly and frowning at the rather frightening reaction. He looked like a chicken flapping it's wings and struggling to take off.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Anton calm down, it's alright! It's going to be okay." Chris promised. Anton fixed him with a penetrative stare that made Chris shiver,  
"How can you promise that?"

His heavily accented words sounded garbled in his flustered state but Chris could just about make out the question. He found his mouth had dried up, the words he wanted to say turning to mush and getting stuck in his throat. So, this was what it was like to have people look up to you and rely on you...Chris didn't feel as confident that he was ready for that task anymore.

"He cannot. He was merely attempting to make you feel better." Fistrinn said from behind him, "Though this information is most disturbing indeed." his tone had taken on a distant quality before the Vulcan boy straightened out and stiffened even more than usual. Chris cleared his throat, glanced apologetically at Anton and asked Fistrinn with unwavering calm what Anton had found, despite the self-doubt he was feeling.

"It is true!" Anton hissed, running his hand through his hair again.

Fistrinn nodded once,  
"Mr Chekov is correct. The ships communications logs confirm that we have been fooled into boarding this ship under the guise of a summer camp but have actually fallen prey to Orion slave trafficking. From the beginning they were planning to take us to the Orion System and sell us to the slave markets." Fistrinn announced with an eerie amount of calm despite the disturbing quality of the news. His brown eyes were the only thing that let Chris know that Fistrinn was truly afraid of what they had discovered. Swallowing thickly Chris looked away, taking a moment to push down the panic rising within him and even out his breathing. He had to remain strong, he had to remain calm. Glancing at the chronometer on the wall above his bed he made a split second decision.

"We need to tell the girls and get off of this ship now." He stated. Fistrinn and Anton both appeared startled by his sudden proclamation but Chris was too busy thinking up a strategy that would give them enough time to prepare and get away, "Anton, can you find a nearby planetoid that we could launch some escape pods onto?" he asked. Anton gulped a bit, making a few breathless noises of confusion before slowly nodding his head.

"Well, da but not from here. I would hawe to go to a proper console to scan the surrounding space, preferably in engineering." he answered, sounding bewildered. Fistrinn made a disgruntled noise and Chris watched his brows furrow, a clearly concerned frown on his face.

"Christopher I do not believe this to be a wise course of action." he protested.

"Then what course of action do you propose?" Chris shot back, "Getting sold to some fat woman who wants to crush you under her because her husband left three years back when she piled on the weight?" his scenario wasn't the most pleasant to imagine and he saw the faint disgust in Fistrinn's eyes before his upper lip curled slightly in annoyance, the closest he would get to glaring at him Chris thought.

"I would prefer it if you would never speak of such a situation again." he admitted. Chris grimaced a bit and nodded,  
"Right, sorry." he agreed quietly, "Fistrinn we're not going to have a flawless plan, we don't have time to come up with one of them but we need to act now. I don't know what we're supposed to do but I know what we can do."

The three teenage boys shared a long look between each other before Anton set his face in a determined glare, nodding his head once before pledging his allegiance to whatever crazy plan Chris had in mind. Fistrinn (though looking faintly annoyed) conceded that maybe he was right and asked Chris what he planned to do next. Chris exhaled through pursed lips and placed his hands on his hips,  
"Well first we need to know for sure that there's a planet we can escape too...but we also need to tell the girls." he thought aloud. Fistrinn and Anton waited in silence and Chris felt an enormous weight settle on his shoulders. They were essentially trusting him with their lives right now and he hadn't the faintest idea how to handle the pressure. Once more, he found himself wondering what his dad would do and came up with a fairly logical solution, mentally sending a thank you to this father and wishing he was there with him.

"Then which will we do first?" Fistrinn pressed for an answer and Chris gave him one with a slight glare, agitated by the boy's constant grilling. He was expecting perfection and Chris didn't know for sure if he could give it him.

"We tell the girls first. That way they can help us fine tune the plan, make it is a faultless as we can possibly get it to maximise our chances of success. That's logical, right?" he raised an eyebrow at the Vulcan boy who nodded once, finding no flaw in that idea at least. Chris was relieved that he uttered no protest and grabbed his leather jacket from his desk chair, pulling it onto his body and striding for the door, motioning for the other boys to follow him. He knew the way to Kaiyo's quarters, knew the way to all their quarters actually, and in less than five minutes they were at the door. Kaiyo ushered them inside quickly, pacing the floor anxiously while Elizabeth lay back on the bed and stared sourly at the ceiling.

"Dammit woman stop pacing!" she snapped finally. Kaiyo shot her a glare but Chris butted in before things could escalate, sensing that an escalation would mean the end of the Asian girl.

"We need to get off of the ship." he declared. Both Kaiyo and Elizabeth glanced at one another before giving him their undivided attention. Feeling a little hot under all the eyes on him, Chris shifted uncomfortably. Elizabeth had sat up now to look at him more intently, her bitter expression fading into one of faint panic as he said, "There was never a summer camp, they were going to sell us to the Orion slave markets. We have to get off this ship and soon."

Kaiyo slowly sat down on the edge of her bed as Elizabeth shot to her feet,  
"Look I'm all for not bein' a slave an' all." she drawled, her southern accent coming on thick, "But what about Max! He won't be awake for at least another three hours and even when he is he's gonna be weak." she argued, "It won't be safe to move him off the ship until he's got a bit of strength back."

"But we can't stay here and be sold!" Kaiyo squeaked, looking afraid. Chris placed a calming hand on her shoulder and tried not to shudder under her impossibly intense gaze.

"We won't be!" he interrupted loudly, "Look, we still need a plan to get off this ship with so we have three hours to find a way to move him safely with us. We won't leave him behind." Chris promised, seeing Elizabeth relax slightly at the news. She nodded once, hugging her waist tightly and glaring at the floor. Chris wondered what they were all thinking, if they were really ready to trust him with their lives. Gears in his mind working hard he finally came up with a sketchy plan he was sure Fistrinn would amend for him. "Okay so in an hour's time we go for lunch, we need to be well fed if we're going to leave. We already have a plan in mind to find a nearby planetoid but we need to find a way to ensure that the right people find us again. Maybe we could send out some sort of distress signal?" he suggested. As expected Fistrinn was quick to step up and volunteer Kaiyo for the task, who blinked in shock and began to chew her lower lip, fiddling nervously with a dragon pin on her jumper.

"I...I could make an encrypted message yes but where would I send it to?" she asked.

"Mr Chekov could find a nearby Starbase to rely the information back to Starfleet HQ for us while he searches for the planetoid." Fistrinn answered with unwavering calm. Kaiyo fell silent, hanging her head a bit and swallowing thickly. She was clearly very uncomfortable with this but after a derogatory snort from Elizabeth and a harsh nudge to her ribs she quietly conceded,  
"I can use the desk here, they all have inbuilt communications."

She was glaring heatedly at Elizabeth but the young woman seemed unfazed. Chris nodded his head and turned to look at Elizabeth, feeling a strange sense of relief when her gaze asked 'how can I help?' rather than 'how many sandwiches short of a picnic are you?'.

"Can you pack a medical kit of sorts?" he questioned, "You know, in case we need it on the planet. Nothing too heavy so you can carry it around but enough that we can treat a variety of injuries." Chris's mind was reeling with so many ideas and the pressure on his shoulders was so immense he had to sit down. Elizabeth had instinctively moved away from him but out of pure habit he slung his arm around her shoulders. She huffed but didn't attempt to remove his arm, something Chris was grateful for considering the comfort he was taking from her warmth. "We'll need some sort of food ration too." he thought aloud. Fistrinn inclined his head in agreement as Elizabeth muttered about medical bay not missing a few things.

"I shall see to that." he said, volunteering himself. Chris's eyebrows rose in surprise but he nodded in agreement. So, they had a way to find a planet, a way to communicate with home to make sure the right people came to get them, a way to get food and medical supplies to last them for a while...they'd need weapons.

"Alright, while you guys are doing that...I'll search the ship to find the safest route to the escape pods and some weapons for us." Chris decided, knowing he couldn't let them do all the work and sit back and do nothing. Elizabeth looked slightly shaken by the idea, her scowl intensifying as she shot him a look that voiced her displeasure more than any words could. Chris cringed slightly but unapologetically declared that they may need them and it was better to be safe than sorry. Elizabeth grunted slightly and shifted away from him, letting Chris silently know she was more than uncomfortable now.

"Dammit man I'm a doctor, not a soldier." she grumbled under her breath. Chris grimaced, trying not to show how guilty he was now feeling - the last thing he wanted to do was force anyone into a position where they weren't comfortable. However, he knew this could save her life and so he refused to budge, not looking at her and staring resolutely at the wall across from them.

"So what's the actual plan?" Kaiyo asked timidly. Her dark hair hung in ringlets around her face and Chris reached out to place a hand on her wrist, squeezing lightly to give her what little comfort he could.

"The plan is this. In an hour's time we go and have lunch to keep our strength up, something with lots of carbohydrates to give us energy. Then, we split at different times to do our jobs. Anton, you'll leave first to go find us a planet in engineering that's at least two hours away, give us a specific time to work with so we can work out when to stop the ship. Lizzie-"

"Don't call me Lizzie." she grouched.

"Elizabeth-" he amended, "You'll go next to go pack up the medical supplies, then Kaiyo and I will leave together and you can use the panel in my room to send the message. I'll drop you off there and then I'll go do my bit, leaving Fistrinn to pack up the food. Remember it needs to be long lasting, preferably with lots of good nutrients and stuff to keep us going." Chris concluded. An awed silence had fallen over the room and Chris could feel four sets of eyes on him. His skin felt hot and prickly but he pushed away the uncomfortable feeling and stood up, holding his head high and trying to give off an air of confidence. They were looking to him for his leadership, he had to be strong now and make his dad proud.

"Does anyone have a backpack I may use to hold the food in?" Fistrinn asked politely. Kaiyo reached under her bed, emptying the contents of it onto the mattress (which Chris was amused to find included a pair of red lace panties) before thrusting it into his hands. "Thank you." the Vulcan boy rolled it up tightly and stuffed it up his shirt and into his jeans, hiding it from view. Chris exhaled slowly as the silence descended over them once more. This was really happening, they were going to do it. It was all crazy of course, but it was either crazy or slavery...Chris personally preferred the first option since he had faith that their parents would come and get them once they knew.

"Where are we going to keep the bags until it's time to leave? We can't cart them around with us." Kaiyo pointed out. Chris furrowed his brows in thought, prepared to volunteer his room again before somebody piped up for him.

"Put 'em in my room." Elizabeth sighed. When the others looked at her in surprise she bristled, eyes narrowing on the four of them as she huffed frustratedly, "Well nobody likes me enough to check on me so they'll be safe!" she growled. Looking closer, Chris could see the frustration was shadowed with sadness; she wanted to do something right for once and be part of the team. She was trying and they weren't giving her enough credit.

Grinning broadly, Chris clapped her shoulder and chuckled,  
"See? Now you're getting into the spirit of it! Nice thinking Lizzie!" he complimented, and though she'd deny it Chris knew he saw gratitude in her eyes. But instead of the smile he craved to coax out of her, all he got was a glare, an elbow to the ribs, and an annoyed cry of,  
"Dammit man! Don't call me Lizzie!"


	6. Chapter 6: Sneaks

Anton had never been more nervous for anything in his entire life, every bite of his layered pasta salad had made him feel immensely sick and his palms were so sweaty he wasn't sure he'd be able to operate the console he was going to hack into. This was not what he had wanted to do with his talents and he resented his father for making him come on this damn trip. It'd be good for you, he'd said, build character and help you decide what to do he'd said. Chris had given him the signal and after swallowing back the bile rising in his throat Anton had climbed to his feet and strode towards the door. Stuffing his trembling hands in his pockets he scurried down the corridor towards the lift, taking it down to the lowest level to begin his mission. His green eyes darted around nervously, the small engine room not giving him much space to hide if anyone came in. The nearest console would be well hidden as long as nobody came down in the lift, and he scrambled towards it to try and get his task over and done with in the shortest time possible.

His fingers danced across the keys, his mind struggling to immerse himself in the sequence of numbers and symbols he needed to break into the console and begin his search. Beads of sweat formed on his hairline and he could feel his heart racing in his chest. Never had anything made him more anxious than this. He was disappointed with himself for taking three minutes to hack in, but he had done it at least. Exhaling slowly he began muttering to himself in Russian, little reassurances that he would be okay and that he could do this. They were counting on him and he couldn't let his new friends down. Setting up the scan he pulled back from the console and drummed his fingers nervously against his leg. He was almost bouncing with anticipation and nervously glanced over his shoulders again at the grey interior of engineering, but not even the familiar hum of a warp drive could calm him down. Anton groaned quietly, willing the scan to go faster until it finally beeped with the results.

Scanning his eyes over the information he quickly eliminated all of the dangerous planets - ones that didn't have the right atmosphere or that they wouldn't pass close enough too. Anton frowned worriedly when he saw it really limited their options, and by really limited he meant there was only one planet left. Grimacing slightly he began a different search, looking for a Starbase that Kaiyo could communicate with. This search thankfully took less time and Anton thanked his lucky stars. Inhaling deeply, he caught the scent of grease and oil, letting it relax him slightly as he glanced around and found nobody watching him. He was safe, he was nearly done and in the clear. The console beeped once more and Anton took note of the next Starbase before erasing all of his searches, allowing himself a brief victory smile before darting from the room, completely oblivious to the icy blue eyes of the officer watching him discreetly from behind the warp drive.

Elizabeth was not looking forward to this either. She knew that there was going to be at least one person on duty in the infirmary and had had to plan in advance for this. When Chris had given her her signal, she had risen gracefully from her seat and strode confidently from the room. Her stomach was fluttering with nervous butterflies and she had struggled to swallow her lunch, even when Chris gave her an encouraging look. That boy, damn him. He was trying to keep her happy, trying to get her involved and make her feel welcome. The others weren't too keen on her, she knew that but Christopher Kirk...well that damn boy just wouldn't leave her alone and there were times she swore he actually liked her. The backpack underneath her shirt was horribly itchy and she couldn't wait to get rid of it, but she knew that it would involve some creative lying to get the med-bay clear enough for her to pack a medical kit. Thinking on her feet she forced her bitter expression to become a softer, more concerned looking frown. She thought she looked constipated more than anything but it was the best she could do.

Taking a deep breath she thought back to her dad, wondering what he was doing right now and if he would approve of her pilfering from med-bay. He probably wouldn't. She would have given anything to be back in their little practice, working across the room from him and then tucking in to some of her dads homemade Brunswick stew and cornbread - he claimed that he'd grown up on it and he'd be damned if he denied his daughter the same pleasure. It was his arms she currently wanted to be wrapped up in, his safe and secure embrace that could make all of her worries go away and shield her from harm. But he wasn't here, her dad was far far away and the only way she would see him again was if she learned to play her part in the team, if she managed to play nice with others...she worried that she wouldn't be able to do it. Exhaling slowly, she made sure her face was schooled into a concerned frown before darting into med-bay, arms wrapped around herself and her breathing laboured as though she'd run a marathon.

"Doctor! Doctor!" she called out frantically. The doctor on the ship was an aged man with crow's feet by his eyes and wrinkles beginning to creep onto his forehead. She guessed he was in his early fifties but judging by his towering height of six foot seven and broad shouldered frame, he could still pack a punch.

"What is it girl?" he asked boredly, looking up at her disinterestedly and eyeing her like she was going to pull a phaser on him. Elizabeth briefly considered that that would have been easier before she ploughed on with her lie, locking her dark chocolate eyes on his own dull green ones to try her best to convince him that she was telling the truth.

"My friend Fistrinn, the Vulcan boy I came on board with, he's got a real bad tummy ache doc! He can't get out of bed an' I think he mighta got food poisoning from something in the replicators." she explained, voice flustered and eyes wide. "Please help him doc! He's in his quarters and I can't get him out of 'em!" she pleaded, hating how weak it made her sound. The doctor was convinced however, waving her off with a grumble and glancing at his PADD to get the location of the Vulcan's room. Elizabeth held her breath as she waited for the final verdict, almost smirking when he got up and moved towards the small first aid kit on the shelf.

"Alright I'm going." he sighed, "I'm not paid enough for this." he ground out as he stalked out of the room and down the corridor. Elizabeth allowed herself a brief victory grin, yanking out the backpack from underneath her shirt and straightening out as she headed for the supply cabinet near the metal shelves, opposite the biobeds were Max still lay unconscious. She snatched up anything she thought would be handy: hypospray; various useful medications; antidotes to poisons; a tricorder; splints; a small med kit containing six preloaded drugs in a second hypospray along with a handy little scalpel; an emergency surgical kit and the good old fashioned bandages and gauze. The backpack was going to be a little heavy but at least it had everything they needed, and they could surely take it in turns to carry it right?

Hauling it up over her shoulder she glanced at the chronometer on the wall, grimacing a little before hurrying over to check on Max. His vitals looked good, stable, and there was barely any trace of the poison in his system anymore. The antidote had worked and she looked over his chart with an expert eye, estimating that he would be awake and most likely hungry within the next hour or two. Turning on her heel she strode out of med-bay and checked both ways before heading towards her own room, allowing herself to relax slightly and breathe easier with each step she took away from the med-bay. Elizabeth was completely unaware of the dull green eyes spying on her from around the corner as she left.

Fistrinn was quite calm, all things considered. He wasn't too confident that this plan would work but he recognised the logic in following it - it was the only plan they had and they could always work out the kinks in it as they went along. Christopher was a slight conundrum though. Fistrinn firmly believed he would one day make a great leader however they were all just children, he was merely a boy and seemed to make impulsive decisions. There had been somebody left behind in the mess hall when Kaiyo and Chris had left, the pair perfectly playing out the scenario that he was leaving with her for a bit of fun. Fistrinn recalled being vaguely sickened by the easy-going charm that seemed to ooze from Christopher and shook his head bemusedly. Though he tried to deny it and be more like his farther, he did sometimes enjoy the complexity of human emotion. As complicated as they could be they were certainly enthralling, bringing a certain level of excitement and anticipation with them.

Since nobody was here to judge him for it, Fistrinn allowed himself to feel the slight thrill of a mild adrenaline rush as he discreetly slipped down the corridor towards a supply cupboard he had used the console to find. A small smirk twitched the corner of his lips up as he began to stuff in various items of food. There wasn't much, Fistrinn knew it was the emergency supply in case the replicators all went down or power was lost to the ship, but it was all long lasting and would give them those nutrients that Christopher had insisted on. Fistrinn sighed a bit, shrugging nonchalantly before sweeping his arm across the shelf and dumping it all in the bag. The food didn't look particularly nice but he was a firm believer in things that were good for you not always looking or tasting the best - his mother had told him just as much when she'd forced that dreadful medicine down him all those years ago for the flu. Fistrinn paused for a moment, finding that pesky human emotion of longing swell up in his chest. His mother's embrace was warm, comforting, something he knew he could depend on. His father's self-discipline was everything he needed to keep calm and remain in control of the situation. The fact was - Fistrinn was afraid.

He scoffed quietly at himself, shaking the thoughts from his head and drawing in a deep, cleansing breath before exhaling slowly and turning to the emergency supply of bottled water. The backpack wasn't too heavy but it was still quite full. Confident that it would see them through, Fistrinn organised it so that the food wouldn't be crushed by the bottles and then zipped it up, pulling it up onto his shoulders and holding the straps in place. Fistrinn closed his eyes and mentally planned his route back to Elizabeth's room. Elizabeth - the young woman had a truly foul disposition and Fistrinn couldn't ever see himself getting along with her fully. Christopher and the others, they were people he could see himself being friends with, but Elizabeth? She was rude and grumpy and everything negative wrapped up in a blonde bow, and Fistrinn just couldn't see what Christopher saw in her that made him keep trying. Shaking the thoughts away, he slipped out of the supply cupboard, pausing briefly when the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end before he shook it off and walked away.

Anton had arrived at his quarters not five minutes after Chris had brought Kaiyo inside. They'd sat in a comfortable silence while they waited, not wanting to start something they couldn't finish if Anton didn't come back, and Chris knew there was a possibility that he might not. He swallowed a bit and watched Kaiyo's fingers fly over the screen, composing her message to their parents as Anton paced the floor at the foot of his bed.

"Remember to encrypt it with something only our parents would understand." Chris reminded her for the fifteenth time. Kaiyo knew he was nervous (even though he was trying not to show it) and so grit her teeth and got on with her job instead of calling him out on it. Chris exhaled slowly, drumming his fingers against his thighs to try and relieve some of the tension in his body. Chris's body was filled with nervous tension and his eyes kept wandering between two of the people he was trying to keep safe, then his mind wandered to poor Max lying in med-bay and essentially fighting for his life, unknowingly trusting them with it. Chris wished beyond anything else that his dad was here. Jim Kirk was an infamous Captain and he'd been so sure that one day he could follow in his father's footsteps, his grandpa's footsteps, his (not blood related but still he called him that anyway) Uncle Chris's footsteps. Chris knew his farther would be supportive of him, knew he'd be more than happy to help him with a gentle guiding hand.

Chris had no advice to go on this time, nothing more than his gut feeling and intuition to get him through this, and that terrified him. What if it was wrong? Kaiyo's fingers finally stopped moving, gaining his attention and giving him a second glance before she slumped forward on the desk and dropped her chin on her fist.

"It's done." she mumbled, dark eyes looking anxious, "It's sent." Chris exhaled slowly and nodded, trying to appear confident as he glanced once more at the chornometer that was slowly ticking away their time. They had a little over two hours left before the planet was close enough for Anton to physically drop them out of warp. The door chimed and Chris turned with a small frown, the knot of anxiety in his gut tightening horribly for a split second before he smoothed out his expression and opened the door. Elizabeth was stood before him, face in its signature scowl and a backpack on her back. She pushed it into his arms and he stumbled back a bit from the force of it as she strode in uninvited. Chris opened his mouth to protest but realised there was no point, and instead he said,  
"Damn are you sure this is heavy enough Lizzie?"

Elizabeth's scowl darkened and he smirked slightly as she huffed,  
"It's everythin' we need like you said, and don't call me Lizzie goddamit!" Kaiyo sighed, talking to Anton quietly in Russian with a look of distaste on her face. "When are we leavin' anyhow?" she mumbled, hugging her waist and looking anywhere but him. Chris focused solely on her, knowing that he'd need his medical officer to have full confidence in him if he was going to rally the rest of the troops.

"Two hours from now." he informed her, touching her arm lightly as he placed the backpack down on the floor by the foot of his bed. He could smell the antiseptic wipes already and it made him shudder. He didn't really like medical exams or anything to do with medicine; it tasted foul, it made you uncomfortable and he didn't fancy anyone playing about with his insides thank you very much. Elizabeth nodded and made to leave but he caught her arm again, spinning her to face him and staring at her with such sincerity it made her skin crawl.

"What is it?" she asked, frowning up at him. Chris sighed and smoothed out the deep furrow between her brows with his thumb, making her flinch back and glare at him, "What the hell d'you think-"

"Do you trust me?" Chris interrupted. Elizabeth recoiled as if he'd slapped her, regarding him suspiciously through her dark chocolate eyes. Chris refused to let her go though, needing to know the answer for the sake of his own sanity. "Elizabeth, I need to know. Do you trust me enough to go through with this?" he repeated, voice low so as not to draw the attention of Kaiyo and Anton. Elizabeth jerked her arm from his grip, the deep frown back in its place and her bitter expression sending a twinge of hurt through him.

"I don't know you." she said bluntly, "I don't trust people...but this is the only plan we got, so I guess I got no choice but to trust you." Her words were a stark contrast to her expression and Chris slowly nodded.

"Thanks." he said quietly. Elizabeth stared at him as though he'd grown a second head, glanced at the door and sighed as though she were giving in after a long battle.

"Mind if I stay here?" she asked him, voice soft and her eyes refusing to meet his. Chris stilled in surprise, eyeing her with a small smile on his lips - apparently Miss McCoy wasn't so tough after all.

"Of course you can." he agreed, "If you need to be near me to feel safe." he added with an arrogant grin, his father's charm coming through. Elizabeth scoffed slightly and glared him down, her hair whipping him in the face as she spun on her heel and strode for the door.

"Never mind." she growled. Chris watched her go with a groan...maybe he had pushed that one too far too soon. Anton snickered behind him and Chris raised an eyebrow slightly, challenging him to say something.

"You can't flirt with a woman like zat." he said. Chris rolled his eyes.

"I wasn't flirting." he denied. Kaiyo rolled her eyes back at him and Chris turned away, inhaling deeply and catching the faint lingering scent of strawberries she exuded. "I just want to see her smile for Christ's sake, she scowls too much." he said by way of explanation. Anton hummed in agreement and Kaiyo sighed, running a hand through her hair before deciding it was time to tie it up with the bobble on her wrist.

"I wish I knew why, life can't be that bad can it?" she wondered rhetorically. Chris lifted his eyebrows amusedly, finding a brief moment of relief where the tension drained from his body.

"We're waiting to eject ourselves out onto a potentially dangerous planet because there's a crew trying to sell us off to a slave market...but sure things are awesome!" he answered with a cheeky grin. Kaiyo glared at him but the expression dissolved into a smile and she laughed lightly, nodding her head in agreement,  
"Okay, so life could be better."

Chris smiled at the sound of Anton snickering in the corner, hoping that there would be plenty of reason to laugh when they were safely back home and with their parents. Two hours, two hours from now and he'd be leading a ragtag group of teens across a potentially dangerous planet. He offered up his room as a waiting area if they wanted but Fistrinn politely declared it would look suspicious to have them all in here and so left to go to his own room. Kaiyo announced she was going to speak to Elizabeth with a small and reluctant sigh. Anton nervously shuffled however and Chris raised an eyebrow at the anxious boy. Sighing, he looked away and said,  
"Would it be...silly, to say I am scared zat our plan will not work?"

Chris's expression immediately softened and he was struck with a memory of his little sister. Sofia (or as she was affectionately known by everyone who met her, Fia) had never been in a thunderstorm before, and Chris had been left to babysit while his parents went on date night. Blonde curls bouncing around her face she'd burst into his room, not bothering to knock and giving Chris just enough time to get the violent video game he'd been playing off of his TV screen before she'd jumped on him and began to cry. Chris had sat with her for a whole hour and made a game out of the lightning, counting the seconds between the thunder and lightning and guessing how many bolts they'd see before it stopped. She'd been wrapped up tightly in his arms and a blanket, her teddy bear between them and her blue eyes fixated on his face as though he were telling her the greatest secret anyone had ever known. Anton was looking just as vulnerable in that moment and so Chris sat beside him, clapping his shoulder briefly and shaking his head.

"No it's not...because I'm scared too." he confessed, "Frankly I'm terrified that instead of saving you I've come up with a plan that's going to do you more harm than good. But if we just stay here then our parents will never have time to catch up before we're sold off, we have to do something. I have hope though, we work together and I just know that we'll make it." he sounded so confident even though he wasn't sure he believed himself. Chris nudged his shoulder against Anton's playfully, "Besides, I'm offering you the chance to cause chaos in an engine room! How often does that happen?" Anton couldn't help but smile slightly and nodded once,  
"Yes...might I stay here? I can work out what to do to ze engine."

Chris nodded with a smile and leaned his head back against the wall, legs dangling over the edge of the bed and kicking lightly.

"Sure thing Anton...I'm going to try and catch a few Z's while I can if you don't mind, wake me when there's half hour to go huh?" Chris asked quietly. Anton hummed in agreement and Chris closed his eyes, exhaling slowly and crossing one ankle over the other while he tried to push all thoughts from his head, desperate to try and sleep in preparation for the big escape.


	7. Chapter 7: And Action!

A knock on the door startled Chris awake and his heart leapt into his throat as he kicked Anton out of his slumber and pointed at the door. Anton's eyes widened and he scrambled around for something to wield as a weapon - the bulkiest backpack he could find held the medical supplies and he swung it up like a battle axe. Chris headed for the door and inhaled deeply, opening it and steeling himself for a fight before feeling an immense wave of relief that threatened to send him to his knees when he saw it was a pale but still standing Max and Fistrinn.

"Max!" he exclaimed, clapping the Scotsman on the shoulder and grinning from ear to ear, "How're you feeling man?"

Max groaned,  
"I've never felt this bad before." his accent had become thicker in his state but it was still understandable at least. Chris nodded, sobering quickly and looking at Fistrinn, who cocked his head with disapproving eyes.

"You had fallen asleep. It is time to go. The girls are already going to the escape pods and I have disabled the engines." he informed him. Chris felt a surge of guilt, knowing he should have kept an eye on the time. Fistrinn had it all planned out apparently, handing Chris and Anton a phaser each, "I thought it best to come prepared."

"Nice thinking Fistrinn. Alright, Anton can you carry that if I get the food?" Chris nodded at the medical bag Anton was holding and hoisted the food bag over his shoulder, "I put backup phasers in here just in case." he added. With Fistrinn holding up Max, the four boys headed through the maze of corridors, catching up with the girls who were walking close together with hurried steps. Kaiyo looked far more anxious and Lizzie appeared as disgruntled as ever, a separate backpack on her back that Chris didn't recognise. "What's in there?" he asked her as they scrambled through the halls. Elizabeth had half an eye on Max still and shrugged half-heartedly, his eyes critically taking in every inch of him to evaluate his condition.

"If you think we're goin' commando down there if we run out of clean underwear you're sadly mistaken." she replied dryly.

Chris smirked,  
"Let me a have look through when we get down there huh?" he joked, attempting to lighten the mood. Elizabeth rolled her eyes frustratedly and he grimaced, guessing it wasn't the right time. Fistrinn glanced at the watch on his wrist and Chris almost swore he frowned, but his face was as impassive as ever when he looked up at them.

"We must move faster if we are to make it in time." he informed them calmly, a hint of urgency in his tone. Chris inhaled deeply and ducked underneath Max's arm, helping Fistrinn carry him along as the Scotsman groaned,  
"You're bloody joking. I move much faster I'll lose a leg."

Chris could almost hear Elizabeth rolling her eyes.

"No you won't, and once we're on the ground you're probably going to throw up but you need to eat somethin' to give you some energy." she retorted sharply.

"Duck!" Fistrinn cried suddenly, shoving her into the wall. Elizabeth slid down slightly, eyes wide and staring in shock down the hall as Anton darted out from behind Kaiyo and took the guards ahead down with two quick shots. For a moment they stopped to stare at the Russian teen, the gangliest and most timid of them all who apparently had lightning reflexes now.

"Anton...that was amazing!" Kaiyo breathed. Elizabeth pushed herself up with a slight shiver, and Chris glanced between the trio before him, noticing the shock apparent on everyone's face.

"Did I kill them?" Anton squeaked.

"I set the phasers to stun, you have killed no one." Fistrinn assured him calmly, "Now we must hurry." Nodding once with renewed determination Chris pulled Max and Fistrinn along, the Vulcan boy catching up easily as the girls and Anton made sure the way was clear. The escape pods weren't too far (only ten minutes away from Chris's room) but it was still the longest ten minutes of his life and he could feel his palms beginning to sweat by now. "We have two minutes left to jettison. I have already dropped us out of warp, we must go now." Fistrinn urged them.

"Dammit! There's only four pods, we'll have to buddy up." Elizabeth said suddenly when the pods came into view.

"I'll take Max." Chris volunteered quickly. Elizabeth watched him uncertainly for a moment as Fistrinn moved into a pod and waited patiently for someone to join him. Anton and Kaiyo however had other ideas, their slender limbs fitting easily together in a pod as Elizabeth helped Chris manoeuvre a still pale Max into theirs. "Go! Go I've got him." he insisted. Elizabeth pressed something into his hand and he looked down to see a hypospray. She gave him a firm look and said,  
"Give it to him before you go, it'll help him get through the rough landing."

With a whirl of blonde hair she was gone into the pod next door.

"Hey! What are you kids doing!" the voice was high pitched, squeaky and clearly feminine, laced with panic. Chris pressed himself tightly against Max. The door slid shut and they were in total darkness. Chris had never used a hypospray before and haphazardly delivered the shot to Max, who was struggling to stand on his own. Chris wrapped his arms around the boy and tightly hugged him to his chest to keep him upright. Max snorted a laugh,  
"I hate to break it to ya, but I'm straight as an arrow."

Hand hovering over the button, Chris waited with baited breath until he heard Elizabeth's pod go before pressing the button himself. They were jettisoned into space suddenly, his stomach dropping and heart beating hard as he supressed a cry of shock and screwed his eyes closed. Max screamed shamelessly, voice merely a hoarse cry as the pod began to rattle and shake not a minute later.

"Admit it! You're grateful to have me to hold onto!" Chris yelled over the racket of rattling metal. He knew it was going to get a little cosy but he was sweating buckets by now, the beads of moisture rolling down his face and making his grip on Max slippery. But the Scottish boy had gripped him back just as tightly, leaning most of his weight on Chris who realised he was now responsible for keeping Max upright and shouldered the responsibility with nonchalance.

"I canny deny you're a great comfort." he called back, voice still gruff. Chris grimaced, wondering if it was the right time to move him from the ship and guessing it probably wasn't when the poor boy heaved.

"Don't you dare throw up on me." Chris warned, feeling the rattling stop and exhaling sharply. _We've passed through the atmosphere, we're just falling through the sky now...so not comforting_ he thought.

"No promises." Max groaned, head dropping forward and involuntarily head butting Chris. Moaning quietly he hoisted Max up, realising it had been the wrong move to make when Max threw up just as Elizabeth had promised he would. He felt the hot splash of vomit on his shoulder and struggled to swallow back the bile rising in his throat. The impact with the surface came suddenly, unexpectedly, and neither boy had time to brace himself. They'd been thrown about like fruit in a blender and Chris's head knocked into the metal behind him. The sting of the impact sent a fresh wave of nausea over him and after having successfully fought that off he realised he was seeing two of Max, who had collapsed and was slowly sinking to the floor. Chris couldn't hold him up, his own arms feeling too weak as the heat and the dizzy feeling grew worse, dragging him down with it until they were awkwardly half seated on thin air. Leaning his head back he groaned, weakly banging on the door in an effort to get it open or have someone else open it. Nothing. He could hear nothing but the deafening sound of his own heavy breathing, feel nothing but the uncomfortable pull of his hamstrings as he tried and failed to stand up properly.

"Max." he croaked, slapping the other boy's cheek lightly. Max didn't stir either and Chris felt the panic beginning to set in, but the dizziness was overwhelming and he fell forward into the other boy's chest, struggling to take deep breaths and stay calm as the heat pressed in on them from all sides and suffocated him. The pod had heated up due to friction in the atmosphere and with both bodies in there they were overheating - Chris hadn't even thought of that problem let alone that the pods might not be safe enough to descend in. "Computer where are we?" he asked, voice merely a whisper. He received no response, guessing his voice was too weak to pick up on. "Max...sorry…" he sighed, eyes sliding closed and the dizziness dragging him down into the depths of a mercifully cool darkness.

 **San Francisco:**

The little Italian place was bustling with life, clearly popular among the people of San Francisco. The movie had been fun and Jim and snuck a kiss or two at the back of the theatre like the school boy he still was at heart. Bones may have looked on disapprovingly but was secretly happy he had Sulu to sit with so he didn't have to bear the displays of affection alone, and Scotty had watched with wide eyes when the things on screen exploded before scoffing and muttering about how it wasn't possible in real life under his breath. Hikaru Sulu had a bad feeling however, one that resided deep down in his gut and made it impossible to get comfortable in the restaurant. Uhura had asked him if he was okay and he'd replied with the universal 'I'm fine', but he wasn't. They'd finished their starters, the garlic dough balls shared out unequally between Scotty and Jim who had entered a contest to see how many more they could eat than the other man.

His PADD bleeped and he glanced down at it with a frown. He'd turned off all notifications except ones from those who mattered - those being is husband and his daughter of course. Opening up his messages he spotted Kayio's name and found that knot of worry in his gut had tightened horribly. The file was encrypted, and a wave of unease rolled over him as he quietly caught Uhura's attention. Nyota Uhura was still a dab hand at communications and had it decrypted and readable in a heartbeat, handing it back and watching his expression grow pale.

"Hikaru what is it?" she asked him quietly, not wanting to draw attention to him if he was feeling under the weather.

"Stop." he whispered. When his friends continued with their laughter he repeated it louder. The table grew silent and focused their gaze on him, sporting concerned frowns and raised eyebrows before he managed to swallow and speak up, "It's the kids...the kids are...our kids are in danger." The silence was suddenly much heavier and they glanced at each other, unsure of what to make of his declaration. Hikaru passed his PADD to Jim who read it carefully and (without meaning to) promptly dropped it and called for the cheque.

"Like hell that's happening!" he said angrily, "Spock, you and me are going to put a little pressure on those stuffy old Admirals to give us a ship, _now._ "

"Are we flyin' again Jim?" Scotty asked, not knowing what was going on but looking determined to follow Jim as he once had before. Jim nodded without looking up from the PADD on the table,  
"We're flying again Mr Scott."

His voice held the steely tone they all knew so well. His voice was his Captain's voice, and they didn't need to be told twice as they pulled on their jackets and headed for the exit. Their mission was simple - to boldly go and bring their children back home.


	8. Chapter 8: A Rough Landing

Elizabeth had spent most of her time trying to pry open the door, finding her pod driven into the ground so far that dirt had blocked the entrance. When she finally had opened it up, she had had to climb out of the waist high hole she'd ended up in and reach back in to pull out the backpack of spare clothes and blankets and her phaser. Fistrinn had emerged from his pod not to long after, sporting a cut above his eyebrow but insisting he was fine and it didn't hurt so she wouldn't fuss over him.

"Mr Chekov! Miss Sulu! Mr Scott! Mr Kirk! Can you hear us!" Fistrinn called out, voice strong and carrying through the surrounding environment. Elizabeth didn't dare look to see where they were just yet because she was still feeling slightly shaky from the rough landing and unsure whether or not she could cope with it. There was a vague cry for help from the pod on the left (she could see the black metal through the light layer of white smoke filling the clearing) and Fistrinn was quick to stride over and yank open the door, his superior Vulcan strength giving him the edge. Their pod had landed on it's side and Kaiyo came tumbling out from on top of Anton, who cried out in pain and cursed in Russian. Kaiyo quickly scrambled back to his side, gasping for air and clutching his hand while she comforted as best she could in his mother tongue, her dark eyes frantic when they met Elizabeth's.

"His leg his leg! The landing b-b-broke it!" she managed to stammer out.

"Where's the medical kit?" Elizabeth broke in. Kaiyo reached into the pod, still muttering to Anton in Russian as she went to hand the backpack to Elizabeth. The blonde wiped some sweat from her brow and shrugged out of her jacket, realising that she certainly wouldn't need it in this humid climate. Fistrinn however was aware that their party was only 2/3's complete and slowly wheeled his eyes over the landing site to find the missing 1/3. It was some sort of jungle planet, that much was clear, but Fistrinn had never seen a jungle like it in all his studies. Each tree was coated in red vines that stretched _underneath_ the hard packed dirt in a spidery web of eerie, living veins. The trees had bright blue flowers blooming on them that looked like Earth's lillies, only in the middle there were white berries sprouting - he made a mental note to remind the others not to eat them in case they were poisonous. At the foot of some dark green trunks were more flowers, only it encased the bottom of the thin trunk like a wreath and the red berries stood out prominently against the black leaves. The sky was a clear and azure blue and Fistrinn understood why it was so hot when he spotted the second sun in the sky, the two of them reaching their apex where they would create one massive sun before slowly descending in two wide arcs to cool the earth they baked during the day.

Pushing his own jacket off of his shoulder he tied it around his waist and inhaled deeply. The air here was sticky, sweet, humid in a way that suggested a horrendous thunderstorm would soon be on the way - he guessed it would be smart to find higher ground before it hit. The pods littered the cracked earth like large black seeds, smashing easily through the crusty dirt and into the less baked soil below. The only pod not to be open was sticking straight up like a pillar, and Fistrinn cocked an eyebrow as he wondered how he would get it open. Anton cried out in pain behind him and he risked a glance over his shoulder, watching Elizabeth's nimble hands carefully applying a splint to the broken limb. Knowing they had their problem under control Fistrinn headed for the pod and rapped his knuckles against it smartly. Nothing. Upon receiving no reply, he narrowed his eyes on the metal and pushed a hand against it, finding it didn't give much and grimacing.

"Elizabeth, when you are finished with Anton I believe I may require your assistance over here." he called over his shoulder. Truthfully, the green blood oozing from his eyebrow was making him uncomfortable but he refused to waste valuable supplies on so minor an injury.

"Gimme a minute pointy!" she snapped back, "I'm busy."

"I said when you were finished." Fistrinn retorted, voice unwaveringly calm as he clamped down on the spark of irritation she ignited in him as his father had taught him too. Bracing his shoulder against the metal he struggled to find a good grip on the dirt and push, rocking back and forth to try and gain a bit of momentum behind his shoving to loosen the pod up. He tried from every angle but was no closer to getting it out far enough to open it when Elizabeth managed to make her way over to him.

"What is it? I need to clean that cut in case it gets infected." she glared slightly at the green blood leaking down his cheek but Fistrinn ignored her.

"This pod contains Christopher Kirk and Maxwell Scott. They have not responded to my knocking and we must open it." he said instead. She frowned slightly, and Fistrinn saw a flicker of concern in her brown eyes before she nodded,  
"Alright. You know science, right? Do we need to hit it at an angle or somethin'?" Fistrinn quirked an eyebrow and she glared at him slightly, "Dammit man I'm a Doctor not an engineer! I don't know how to get this thing open!"

Fistrinn rolled his eyes and gestured to the front of the pod,  
"I shall push from this side, you shall push from the other. If we can rock it enough we may be able to loosen the dirt encasing it and get it out so we can open the door." he explained. Elizabeth nodded, steely determination entering her eyes as she rounded the other side and placed her hands on the metal. "I will tell you when to push." Fistrinn said calmly, bracing his shoulder back against the metal and shoving with all his might, through gritted teeth he barked at her to push and stepped back, watching it remain firmly in the dirt. "Again!" he ordered, shoving the pod with all his strength. He grunted, she huffed, he growled, she panted, but ten minutes of hard graft later and the pod began to move. The dirt crunched and with renewed vigour they were back at it, sweat soaking their shirts and rolling down their faces. There was a light knock from inside and Fistrinn called out for her to stop, pausing himself and listening hard. There it was again! He knocked firmly on the metal, hearing Elizabeth call out clear instructions to knock again if they could hear her. Three sharp knocks sounded and Elizabeth sighed in apparent relief.

"Are either of you hurt? Knock once for yes, twice for no." she shouted, voice ringing clear through the clearing in the jungle. A single knock made a tight knot of worry form in her gut but Fistrinn remained calm, his hands back on the pod again.

"Keep pushing, it needs to be freed before we can open it. Christopher, Maxwell, be patient!" he called. Shoulder against the metal and aching slightly, he pushed with all his might. Christopher felt terrible. He couldn't move out of his jacket but was sweating buckets and the heat had mixed with the smell of vomit and made the pod smell unbearably bitter. He swallowed back bile, head still pounding from the knock it had received as Max groaned quietly,  
"If we're gonna get this close, yer could have taken me to dinner first."

A weak smile crossed his lips and Chris reciprocated the gesture, briefly managing to manoeuvre his arm to clap his shoulder.

"Some of the best moves are the ones you pull unexpectedly, my friend." he replied with half a groan. He could feel the warm blood oozing from his head, the beads of sweat rolling down from his hairline and clinging to his body. The rocking pod had only made his nausea worse and he tried not to heave, grimacing as the pain in his head intensified and ebbed like waves on the ocean with each rocking movement. "Max...about the vomit...I might return the favour." he warned him.

Max chuckled mirthlessly,  
"We'll be even." he answered, trying to reassure his friend that in this moment he didn't mind. Max still felt weak but better for having emptied his stomach at least, the nausea now only a mild annoyance that he could work through. "Well we are in a sorry state hmm?" Max mumbled, trying to keep Chris conscious. He hadn't been when Max had woken up and that worried him immensely, but he was trying not to let it show. Chris managed a weak laugh, leaning his head forward onto Max's shoulder in an effort to get some sort of stability for it.

"I've had black eyes and looked better." he agreed. Max snorted quietly as the pod began falling again. It was only for a brief moment but their stomachs dropped and Chris heaved slightly, only just managing to hold the vomit at bay - damn did he feel like shit. The door creaked as it opened, breaking off the hinges when Fistrinn pulled it back and Chris turned his face away from the bright sunlight invading their little pod. There was little relief from the heat outside and the stickiness made his clothes cling to him even worse than they had before.

"How are you doing Mr Scott?" Fistrinn enquired. Max went to answer but it was Elizabeth's familiar scoff that saved Chris from having to speak up,  
"Good god man don't ask stupid questions! He's fine! It's the hick we need to worry about!"

Chris could almost imagine the dirty glare on Fistrinn's face but couldn't bring himself to smile or nod, merely moan in agreement and weakly give her a thumbs up. Soft but firm hands hauled him upright and he heaved again, the sudden movement too much for his body to handle and his lunch pooling before him on the floor near her shoes. She appeared completely unfazed and simply stepped to the side.

"Get him into the shade and out of that jacket now." she ordered, tone sounding worried and concerned. Fistrinn's large hands scooped him up under the armpits and dragged him to his feet. Chris grunted and clung to his shoulder, seeing the world tilt at horrid angle briefly before it merely became blurred instead – he couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not.

"Thanks man." he mumbled.

"I thought you said Mr Kirk was our main concern." Fistrinn called over his shoulder.

"I'm grabbin' the medical kit ya pointy eared bastard!" Elizabeth sounded furious that he dared question her and Chris managed to roll his eyes.

"Stop antagonising each other." he ordered but his voice was quiet and weak.

Fistrinn raised an eyebrow,  
"You are in no position to give orders." he informed him. Chris felt his head swim as he was lowered to the floor, vaguely making out the large black pods on the hard packed dirt and the bright blue flowers. "I believe you have a concussion, however I will defer to Miss McCoy's superior knowledge of medicine to diagnose you."

"How kind." Elizabeth drawled sarcastically, coming to kneel beside him. "Why's he not out of that jacket yet?" she demanded, not being gentle about getting him out of it either. Chris winced,  
"Can you be gentle please? I don't feel so hot."

Elizabeth snorted,  
"You're _too_ hot idiot, that's the problem." she grumbled, shaking her head and digging through her backpack to find what she needed to treat his head. Chris winced and groaned, protested weakly and received no sympathy in return from the blonde girl while Fistrinn watched unamusedly from Max's side across the way until she slowly got him to his feet five minutes later. "We need to find shade and all have something to eat and drink." she declared, "This heat won't do us no good if we don't get out of it soon." Fistrinn inclined his head towards the relieving looking shade of the canopy of trees before leaving Max to loop his arm around Anton and help him hobble along. Elizabeth was helping Chris, who was now feeling only mildly nauseous even though his head was still throbbing dully. The warmth of their bodies pressed together was making them both sweat profusely but given the humid climate nobody commented on the sweat patches on their clothes.

"Once we've eaten we need to get down to as few layers as possible." Elizabeth proclaimed, receiving a few uncomfortable looks in reply from Kaiyo and Anton. "We've got to cool down as soon as we can or in this heat we'll melt. We overheat and we'll make ourselves sick for christs sake!" she exploded defensively, "I'm trying to be helpful here!"

"There's no need to snap." kaiyo retorted calmly though her eyes were slightly irritated. The heat was already beginning to boil peoples blood and Chris recognised the need to calm them all down and rally them all together - but it would have to wait until he'd cooled down some himself. "I've only packed jeans...but we can use a phaser to cut them down to shorts." Kaiyo thought aloud. Elizabeth nodded approvingly and Fistrinn cocked an eyebrow, his expression neutral but his eyes telling them he was ready to rip holes in their plan.

"And in the night when it most likely grows colder?" he queried.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow,  
"We'll huddle together and put on more layers?" she suggested sarcastically. Fistrinn simply stared at her boredly. Chris cleared his throat slightly, eyeing them both with what he hoped was a firm glare but in reality was nothing more than a weak frown.

"I don't want to be a narccissist, but can we focus on me for a minute please?" he requested. Elizabeth jumped into action quickly, moving behind him and pulling out her tools from her medical kit and beginning to patch up his head. Chris felt only the tiniest tugging and pulling, the slightest of aches and minimal stinging as she worked doing god knows what to his head. Chris grimaced a bit, feeling his head throb as he tried to stand up when she was done. Rolling her eyes she pushed him back down to sit on the floor.

"Stay down there idiot. I gotta give you a little somethin' to stop your headache." she snapped irritatedly, "God have you ever had a concussion before?"

"Actually no, I haven't." Chris retorted, "The heats getting to us all and I know you're worried, I am too, but tone it down a bit okay? We can't have infighting if we're going to survive this planet until our parents come." She stayed silent, shame filling her because she knew he was right; she was worried but taking it out on everyone else would do no one any good. She'd stitched up his head and shot him with a hypospray, and now under the shade of the trees she could finally feel a sticky kind of relief from the direct rays of the sun, but under the canopy was still very humid. Kaiyo had been working on their jeans, leaving only a single pair each for the night and handing them out as Anton sat trying not to pass out, the pain of his leg still dulling and unlike anything he'd ever experienced. Chris watched them all through bright blue eyes that were beginning to regain some of their original focus. Fistrinn had been rationing out some water, quietly talking to Max to check he was okay before he glanced at Chris and came to sit by him. Chris took the proffered water and gave him a twitch of his lips in reply, almost a smile despite his dull pain and nausea.

"Did Miss McCoy tend to your injury?" he inquired. Chris nodded tentatively, grimacing and realising it wasn't the best idea before clapping Fistrinn's shoulder reassuringly.

"It's sore and I'll feel sick for a little while but nothing I can't handle." He promised, "How about Anton and Max?"

"Both shall require assistance and will slow us down, but both will also be okay. There is a storm coming Christopher, I believe it wise to try and find higher ground." He remarked. Chris nodded slightly and glanced around them, seeing nothing but a dense thicket of dark green trees and brightly coloured plants.

"Any idea where higher ground might be?" he questioned, tone light and smirk playful as he could make it to try and lighten up the mood. Fistrinn raised his eyebrows as Kaiyo began shimmying herself up the nearest tree, moving agilely and clinging to the thin trunks with a considerable amount of strength she didn't look as though she should possess. "Kaiyo?" Chris asked confusedly.

"Higher ground requires a higher view!" she called down, disappearing behind a mess of close together branches and a canopy of blue that made Chris's head hurt more. Had their parents gotten the message? Did they know they were on this terrible hot planet waiting for a rescue or were they still back home in their hotel rooms, enjoying some adult time without their interfering kids? Chris hoped they had, hoped they were coming to get them, because so far they weren't off to the best start. His plan had broken Anton's leg and given him a concussion, not to mention created an unbearable tension between a group of people who needed to work together to survive. Kaiyo came shimmying down as if on cue with a bright smile that lifted his spirits some.

"There's a sort of mountain not far from here, maybe a few miles that way, we should get there before sun down and maybe we'll find a cave." She suggested, her tone hopeful. Seems the air had cleared her head. Fistrinn stood without responding and Chris begrudgingly let him help him to his feet, declaring that's the way they would head and that it was time to pack up the gear.

"Not until we change into lighter layers." Elizabeth broke in stubbornly, "We need to keep cool in this heat, we don't have enough medicine to be treating bouts of heat stroke." So, the boys had to help Anton into a pair of shorts, manoeuvring them over his splint as he winced and groaned and gave them an eyeful of a childish pair of PacMan boxers, a retro game everyone still loved even if it was now holographic. Then it was the girls turn, and Chris watched Anton's cheeks burn at the sound of rustling fabric.

"You appear oddly flustered Mr Chekov." Fistrinn noted quietly, making his blush that much worse.

Chris chuckled,  
"Never heard a girl changing before?" he guessed with a smirk.

"I've heard stories about yer dad mate, don't tell me ya got that Kirk charm every woman falls for?" Max groaned, "We don't stand a chance with any hot alien babes if yer around do we?"

Chris barked out a laugh,  
"I've had a few." He agreed, "But if you call dibs I swear not to touch them."

"You can't call dibs on women! Have you not heard it's nearly the twenty-fourth century?" Kaiyo's annoyed voice called out making all the boys flinch and cast one another guilty looks. Chris swore Fistrinn's cheeks turned a light shade of green as he pulled up their food bag and firmly fixed his gaze on the floor. Elizabeth sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, struggling to keep her temper in check and appear somewhat friendly as she helped Kaiyo shoulder their bag of clothes. She would lead the way as she had seen the mountain they were headed for. Fistrinn and Chris took Anton by the arms and hauled him up, helping him take his first few steps as Elizabeth watched carefully and gave them a small nod, letting them know they were okay to continue. Max fell into step beside her and the group began a slow walk towards what they hoped would be their sanctuary, neither of them saying their silent worry that they truly were alone and they wouldn't find the safety they were looking for.

 **The U.S.S Enterprise**

Jim slowly relaxed into the worn leather of the old chair, feeling it mould to his body in a familiar way that he realised he had missed. The Enterprise had been outdated for a while and out of commission for almost a year, but after a quick dust off and some sharp words between Jim, Spock and a few other Admirals she had been up in space dock ready and waiting for them. Everything was the same as they'd left it and the nostalgia had hit them hard. Nyota brushed her hands along her console and took a deep breath, glancing at Spock who was staring at the stars through the view screen. As if sensing her gaze he turned to her, giving her comfort through his solid brown stare that allowed her to fire up all the old circuits and place her earpiece in. Jim rubbed the arms of the chair slowly and exhaled a long breath. Sulu appeared nervous and Chekov's fingers were moving faster than Jim could ever recall them moving before, but the strained silence among the crew was enough to make him remember their previous urgency and snapped him into action.

"How's the engines Scotty?" he called down to Engineering. Scotty's voice was brimmed with happiness and Jim could almost imagine the childlike grin on his face.

"She's purrin' like a kitten Jim. I can work out the rest of the kinks at warp, but nothing too heavy for starters." Scotty replied. Jim nodded once as Sulu turned to face him, awaiting the order he hadn't given for years.

"Release the docking mechanism Mr Sulu." He said, voice formal and like before. Sulu jumped to do as he was told, hand hesitating over the silver lever that would propel them into space. "Take us to warp, let's bring our kids home."


	9. Chapter 9:Finding Our Feet

Torrential.

Pouring in slanted sheets and hitting them like ice shards, the rain continued to beat out a rhythmless pattern on the ground. Torrential was the only way to describe it. Fistrinn had suspected a storm was coming and here it was alright. Soaked to the skin and freezing cold the group was utterly miserable, trekking through what had quickly turned into sludge and mud and shivering as they went. Their shorts had lasted longer than they had thought they would at least, giving them the relief that Elizabeth had promised they would, but the temperature had quickly dropped when the rain set in. Chris swiped another raindrop from his nose and huffed quietly, trying not to show his annoyance as Anton nearly slipped from their grip again and grit his teeth to keep from crying out.

"How much further have we gotta go lass?" Max called over the pounding rain and rumbling thunder. It sounded like there was a beast in the sky growling at them, dropping little grenades to the ground below.

"I can't see it being too much further!" Kaiyo yelled back, pushing some sodden hair from her eyes as Elizabeth scoffed,  
"You said that a little further ago!"

"Don't start!" Kaiyo growled.

"Hey! We're all soaking wet and pissed okay! Neither of you starts anything alright?" Chris snapped, authority rippling from his tone. The two girls glared at one another before Kaiyo's foot slipped and she disappeared, whisked away with the rain with a scream that died as soon as it was ripped from her lips.

"Kaiyo!" Anton's shocked cry was by far the loudest but Elizabeth's reactions were the quickest. She dropped her backpack and quickly knelt by the edge she had fallen down, watching her slide down the incline with the mudflow. The whole ground was moving and in shock Chris realised there was no escaping it, cursing whatever bad luck they were carrying with them.

"Brace yourselves!" he yelled, sweeping Anton's legs from under him with a quick apology and doing his best to hold the injured leg up as they all fell onto their backsides, screaming and crying out as they were carried down the slope in the mud, sludge coating their skin feeling gritty and cold. Heart pounding in his chest Chris tried to keep track of his friends, watching Elizabeth twisting and turning like his sister's ragdoll in the laundry machine while her heavy backpack pulled her down faster than the others. Fistrinn was in the same position but Chris could still reach out to him if he wasn't trying to prevent Anton's bone from breaking any worse. "Fistrinn grab my leg!" he barked. Fistrinn squinted up through the mud and rain and managed to latch onto his ankle while Chris kept a tight grip on Anton.

"Mr Scott! Take my hand!" Fistrinn bellowed. A wet slap later and the boys were joined together but the girls had disappeared into the sheets of rain and weren't answering any of their calls, making Chris's heart skip a beat. He didn't like being a leader when things went wrong. Max got himself a firm grip on a nearby tree trunk, stuck fast into the ground despite the mudflow.

"Hold on tight!" he called out and Chris tightened his grip around Anton's chest.

"Sorry Anton!" he yelled as his own leg was jolted in Fistrinn's grip, sending a shooting pain up his calf. The mud continued to flow around them and Anton's heavy weight wasn't helping Fistrinn keep his grip on Chris at all, and Chris felt panic clinch in his chest when Fistrinn readjusted his grip, scared he'd drop them. But just as suddenly as it had come the rain ceased, the only rain falling from the sky being droplets rolling from the leaves on the trees. The mudflow however didn't slow, gravity pulling the saturated soil down down down. "Keep holding on, ride it out, we can do this!" Chris yelled, trying to sound encouraging over their panting. The sudden silence of the jungle unnerved them after the relentless pounding of the rain had made their ears ring. Arms burning, Chris tried to fight the dizzy feeling the blood rushing to his head brought with it and took slow deep breaths to calm his racing heart. He could feel the stitches throbbing again and winced. What would his dad do? He couldn't think straight, could barely breathe with Anton's weight pulling his arms above his head awkwardly and Fistrinn pulling his leg back the other way.

"I think I can pull you up!" Max called out, the strain in his voice letting them know he couldn't hold on much longer.

"What would we hold on to?" Fistrinn asked through gritted teeth.

"There's some tree roots up here, in the mud. I have my foot on one." Max answered. Fistrinn slowly nodded,  
"Then let us try." He agreed.

"Whoa hang on! There's three of us like a monkey chain! We'll be way to heavy!" Chris exclaimed, blood pulsing in his ears. How would his father iron out this plan? He was sure Jim Kirk wouldn't have gotten them into this mess in the first place.

"Do you have a better plan?" Fistrinn demanded, and Chris was surprised to find there was frustration in the Vulcan boy's voice. Chris struggled to think, eyes glancing around to try and find something, anything to help them before he spotted it.

"Maybe." He replied, "Hear me out. That tree there, if Max can use the phaser to cut it down it'll come down with the mudflow right? It'll fall towards us if we hit it at the right angle and get stuck between those two trees down there, we can slide down then sit on it." He proposed. Fistrinn took a few minutes to calculate it, calling out adjustments to Max as he held the phaser a little to gleefully.  
"Christopher?" Anton's accent hit his ears and Chris managed to roll his eyes up to look at him, "I'm scared again." He confessed, "And in a lot of pain."

Chris tried to smile,  
"I know man but tough it out, we're gonna be okay. Once we're upright you'll feel a little better." He promised him, trying to ignore the burn and ache in his arms. _That's assuming I can hold on_ he thought, _And assuming we can actually find the girls and make sure they're okay_. He'd lost them already, and he'd promised his dad he would try to look after Lizzie. He could hear her protesting in his mind and sorely missed her actual voice, the southern twang not sounding accurate enough in his head. The creaking of the tree trunk brought his attention back to the present and he watched with baited breath as the tree collapsed inwards, sliding down and rolling like a log, catching right where he wanted it to be. The mud began slipping slower as the tree blocked its path and Chris huffed, "Alright Anton, we'll take it slow, twist you around so you go sideward and when you grab that tree, get your broken leg up on it." He instructed, using all the strength he had to twist his friend around, barely grinding an apology past his gritted teeth while his arms shook with the effort of holding the weight of the gangly teen.

"Twist yourself around Christopher." Fistrinn advised before letting him go too. Chris grunted in pain as the blood rushed back down from his head, leaving his concussion throbbing worse than before. The headache was immense but whatever Lizzie had given him early was keeping the double vision away at least. The smell of wet earth wasn't helping his nausea but the lack of light soothed his head some, though it didn't make them much happier since the dark encroaching on them was coming in far too fast for their liking and with no spare clothes they were cold and dirty in the middle of the freezing night. Panting, the boys sat on top of the cut down tree trunk and caught their breath.

"Nice one mate." Max clapped his shoulder and Fistrinn nodded as Chris gave them a weak smile.

"Don't thank me yet." He said.

Elizabeth was cursing him down below. They'd slipped farther than the boys, tumbling to the very bottom of the slope and finding they were now both totally encased in mud and darkness. The jungle down here was full of noise, noise that was oddly unsettling in the dark despite neither girl being afraid of it anymore.

"Elizabeth?" Kaiyo's voice cracked and Elizabeth hummed in reply, eyes closed as she tried to control her breathing, "The boys have the flashlights, don't they?" Elizabeth couldn't answer her, her mouth felt to dry. The boys had everything they needed and vice versa. Max and Anton needed her medical supplies but they needed spare clothes and water and flashlights. It was so ironic she almost snorted.

"Sorry." She grumbled. They'd established that neither was hurt and had managed to find one another in the darkness, shoulders pressed together. Despite their earlier animosity there was something about hearing the slow squelch of slipping mud pooling around them, the buzzing of foreign insects lurking in the shadows and the aches and pains in their bodies where they'd hit trees and rocks on the way down had drained their hatred away and left them needing the comfort of another human being. Shivering and wishing they were far away from this damn planet, back home with their parents in their safe and warm beds, the girls slowly reached for one another's hands and intertwined their fingers, holding tightly onto each other as they closed their eyes and wished for the same thing – for daylight to come soon.

The boys had barely slept and felt tired, groggy, but the mudflow had stopped at least, the sun baking the ground again and stopping the flow where it was, it also left perfect little hardpacked teracettes for them to step onto and slowly climb down to find the girls. They'd had a good breakfast and some water, washed the mud off of their skin. Sweat was already building again up his spine and along his hairline, and as he helped Anton down with the help of Fistrinn he glanced over his friends to see they looked as ragged as he felt.

"There you go Anton." He said encouragingly, "You're doing great."

"I don't feel it." The boy grumbled immediately.

Fistrinn raised an eyebrow,  
"Undoubtedly your last shot of pain relief has now faded, it would be wise when we find Miss McCoy to ask her for some more." He advised. Anton merely nodded, his pale face making Chris worry again as he trailed his eyes over Max next. The boisterous boy had quietened down considerably and though he'd regained some of his colour he still appeared shaky on his feet. He'd been poisoned for god's sake! He needed to rest, not be trekking through a jungle on minimal sleep and little food! Elizabeth would have a fit when she found it and Chris hoped she would soon. There was no sign of the girls and they'd already been trekking for a good half an hour, the sounds of foreign bird calls and the steam under the canopy where the rain was evaporating made for a horribly humid environment, the bumpy terrain making it that much harder to cross as Chris wiped some sweat from the back of his neck.

"Can we take a break?" Anton asked with a groan, "I feel dizzy." Chris nodded, helping him to the floor so he could sit down and rubbing his back like he did for Fia when she felt unwell.

"Easy breaths, give him some water Fistrinn." Chris glanced up at the Vulcan who didn't move, so he gestured to the poor Russian teen again and raised an eyebrow.

"It would not be wise to break rations, Mr Chekov isn't due another water break for approximately three hours from now and if we deviate from this-"

"The man's not well Fistrinn, give him some water." Chris ordered incredulously. Fistrinn looked reluctant and despite wanting to refuse he gave the water bottle to Anton who took a tentative sip. Max watched with an awkward expression screaming how badly he wanted to be elsewhere. Fistrinn was giving him the benefit of the doubt for now, but Christopher was not his father no matter how hard he tried to be and his mistakes would cost them all dearly if he wasn't careful. Fistrinn knew that maybe this was unfair, but in his mind he believed he may be better suited to take command as his logical way of thinking was, he believed, a better option to impulsive decisions that ended in tragedy. Chris looked away first and focused his gaze on Anton, checking the boy over attentively and trying to encourage him once more as he helped him up. Chris seemed far away, thinking over how best to level with Fistrinn and get him to see they weren't all like him. Anton was more timid than most of them and in a lot of pain, he needed handling with care, not a tough Vulcan exterior that showed no compassion for sympathy. How had his father seen eye to eye with Spock? From the stories he'd heard it had ended with him goading him and getting slammed into a console and nearly choked - he didn't quite fancy that.

"Hey, we're near the end of the slope!" Max called back, stumbling the last few steps to level ground. Once all the boys had landed together they took a moment to catch their breath and glanced around, finding two discarded piles of muddy clothes but nothing else. Cupping his hands to his mouth Max called their names, his voice ringing through the jungle and forcing it into silence for a moment before the noise picked up again – there were more insects down here and the birdcalls seemed like a far off memory now. Worry knotted his stomach and briefly Chris remembered something his dad had said to him before they'd left for the Academy shuttle.

 _These are the kids of my greatest friends, they'll be brave, tough, smart, everything you are too. You'll get on like a house on fire but if you don't click right away remember we didn't either, they made us a crew but we built a friendship._

Chris almost snorted. His father had had it easy compared to this. They'd had a particularly tough Romulan to take down and a horribly clever Khan to deal with, individual maniacs, not a whole planet! Besides they'd also had a ship! They were incredibly disadvantaged here and Chris knew it, but couldn't quite work out just yet how to deal with it and make the playing field a little more level.

"What if we cannot find ze girls?" Anton asked quietly, looking up at him with innocent eyes. He was so young, so sheltered, just like his father had been.

Chris gave him a stern glare,  
"Don't say it, we will find them, we just have to think like them." He replied. The boys glanced at him then with disbelieving expressions and Chris rubbed the back of his sticky neck, "Or maybe we just follow the mud tracks?" he amended his suggestion and was met with more approving nods as Fistrinn helped Anton back to his feet, handing him a rather large branch and tucking it under his arm.

"Nice! A makeshift crutch! I've had a fair few of those in my time let me tell yer. This one time I-" and Max prattled on, his senseless chatter bringing an odd sort of normalcy to their walk as Anton's stick thumped rhythmically against the hard baked ground. The punishing sun continued to beat down on them mercilessly but Chris focused entirely on the mud tracks, silently promising they wouldn't stop until they found their missing friends and became whole once more. He nearly believed it until his hopes were dashed with a single black bag, its contents strewn out on the floor.

"Shit!" he cursed, rushing over and fingering the empty medical supply kit. He threw the backpack down in frustration and gripped his dirty hair hard, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"There are signs of a struggle." Fistrinn noted, picking up one of the sneakers Kaiyo had been wearing. The mud tracks were gone and so were the girls, and Chris felt the weight of this new world settle hard on his shoulders once more.


	10. Chapter 10: The Who?

**The U.S.S Enterprise**

They stood around the board they'd planned many a mission around in their lifetime, an image of the star system on the board with a few highlighted spots here and there. The Starbase that had relayed the message was highlighted in green and the suspected telemetary of the Gemini was in a red dotted line across the board. The coordinates of the planet they had said they were escaping too had proven accurate and the planet was highlighted in blue. Spock had a PADD in his hand and was diligently informing them of all the negatives in this scenario, but Jim hated seeing the worry clouding his friends' faces, hated the feeling of Natalie gripping his hand tighter than she had during child birth. His son, his son was out there. His little girl was back home but had been crying when they told her they had to go. Chris was going to be fine right? They would all pull together as the crew he stood amongst had before them, right?

"Furthermore there are two suns orbiting this planet, creating a climate hotter than the most tropical parts of Earth. There's little water but plenty of shade in the jungle, though scans show various life signs adapted to the planets environment and it is hard to tell if they are friend or foe. There is a sustainable atmosphere however." Spock concluded quietly, placing the PADD down and surprising Jim by giving Nyota a brief but comforting squeeze of her hand.

"Great, so they launched themselves at a hostile hot spot?" Bones drawled. His anxiety for Elizabeth had made his bad mood worse than usual and with a scoff he said, "It so half brained your son had to have come up with that one." Jim shot him a slight glare but Natalie interrupted them before he could argue back,  
"He's a Kirk, that means as stupid as his plans are he'll have the luck to pull it off."

The group fell oddly silent as they stared over the information on the board, knowing they should be saying a thousand things but finding the words got lodged in their throats.

"I know this looks back, but they're _our_ kids! They're resourceful, they're smart, they have a goddamn Vulcan so any plan they come up with will be logical and as good as it can get, right? They'll be ready and waiting for us to pick them up so how much longer until we can get to full warp Mr Scott?" Jim asked, hitting the communications button as he neared the end of his speech.

"Another half an hour?" Scotty guessed.

"Give it all you've got." Jim replied before looking back up at his friends. Chekov had paled considerably and swallowed thickly before informing them all of the worst news yet.

"When they sent zer message, assuming they jettisoned straight after...the suns were reaching zer apex, any entry would be incredibly hot, they would hawe passed right by the suns." He told them quietly.

"Oh god." Nyota moaned, burying her face in her hands to take a deep breath while Natalie squeezed his hand tighter. Jim didn't know what to say but found it was Bones that reassured them this time, a strange turn of events that brought with it a faint flicker of amusement, however briefly it lasted.

"I taught my baby girl well, she knows the signs of heat stroke, she'll keep 'em safe." he said fiercely. Jim clasped his shoulder tightly and nodded once, looking back up at the board and glancing at his friends,  
"If we find the Gemini, are we willing to do whatever it takes?"

His question was met by stony expressions and they all knew what he was really asking - were they prepared to blow it to kingdom come?

"Yes captain!" their confidence was all he needed.

 **Back on the Planet**

Elizabeth blinked, her eyes bleary and vision hazy even when she opened her eyes. She was sweating in places she didn't know could sweat and her mouth felt horribly dry. She tried looking around for Kaiyo, found her hazy figure not too far away on the floor of the cage they were trapped in. Wait, a cage? Panic bubbled up in her chest and Elizabeth struggled to call her name, get her friend awake. She moved to place a hand to her forehead, check her temperature but found them bound behind her back, pressed against the poles and the wall of the wooden cage. They'd been left out in the sun in a clearing of sorts, surrounded by wooden huts with roofs of huge white leaves and doors made out of rags. Twisting and turning she thrashed weakly in her restraints and felt an oddly cool hand come down on her shoulder. She blinked up through the bright light of the sun to find a familiar pair of warm brown eyes blinking down at her. Her heart leapt.

"Daddy?" she croaked.

"Easy baby girl, don't use up your strength. Dammit Liz how many times have I told ya not to stay out in the heat? Made yourself sick you have." Bones chastised with a roll of his eyes, placing his cool hand against her forehead.

"Heat stroke?" she whispered, her sluggish mind guessing this was a form of hallucination designed to comfort her.

Bones simply nodded once,  
"Right again Liz, I ain't really here, but I'm on my way." he promised.

"But da-" her hoarse voice was cut off by the feel of cold liquid rushing down her throat, choking her almost as she struggled to gulp it back and breathe at the same time. She blinked furiously, coughing and sputtering and finding a different figure had replaced her father, a figure looking much scarier and less comforting than Leonard 'Bones' McCoy. It moved to Kaiyo next, dragging her closer by the ankle and preparing to pour the contents of the cup down her throat. Elizabeth thrashed again, her eyes widening in horror.

"No! You'll choke her dammit don't!" she snapped, pulling hard on her restraints. The figure looked afraid and backed away from the shouting blonde who had caused Kaiyo to stir. This…person, seemed afraid of them. It had pale green skin and was mostly naked, minus the tattered attempt at a pair of shorts woven from long grasses it seemed and a sash of some sort of skin holding a quiver of arrows on its back. Its eyes were completely white and the eyelids blinked sideways, like a strange sort of amphibian almost. She was repulsed by the creature and could see Kaiyo struggling to focus on its features, mainly the bulbous nose with the bones spiking through each nostril that twitched when it shrieked, a high-pitched noise in her head that made her brain ache.

"What _is_ that?" Kaiyo groaned hoarsely. Elizabeth cringed against the bars and at her sign of relenting the figure began approaching again, it walked like a chimpanzee she noted despite being as tall as Fistrinn at least. Fistrinn, Max, Anton…Chris…god she hated that pointy eared bastard but she'd be glad to have him here now, all of them.

"Stay down Kaiyo and be prepared for a drink." Elizabeth warned, watching helplessly as the alien nearly drowned the poor girl. She coughed and spluttered and choked as she had done too. "Easy breaths." She advised quietly. She'd never seen an alien before, well not one on another planet anyway, the aliens back home were all more friendly and she'd grown up seeing them, was used to their strange features and customs. This was entirely new and it was terrifying.

"What is it?" Kaiyo whispered. Elizabeth slowly shook her head, eyeing the thing with her usual bitter expression as it pointed to the sun and sank to its knees. Kaiyo frowned as Elizabeth groaned, patience wearing thing.

"What the hell is it doing?" she mumbled to Kaiyo. Kaiyo watched carefully, her affinity for languages and communication kicking in despite how sickly she felt. It kept pointing to them, then the sun, then the ground.

"It knew the sun was making us sick." She realised, "You were trying to help us?" The alien blinked at her, that strange sideways eyelid shocking Kaiyo a moment before she smiled, "Thank you." She said with a nod, clasping her already tied hands and bowing her head towards them, a universal thank you she hoped he'd understand. The figure crawled a little closer, looking almost curious. It had no eyebrows, something they could only see now it was closer despite that fact that it had hair on its head, a wispy patch of white that stuck up like Mohawk in the centre of its skull but not nowhere else. "You can't talk." Kaiyo realised, seeing it also had no mouth.

Elizabeth shuddered,  
"Kaiyo don't get so goddamn close!" she hissed with a glare at the alien, who shrank back from her and gravitated towards the less hostile looking girl.

"Elizabeth you're scaring him!" Kaiyo scolded her.

"He put us in a cage!" Elizabeth snapped back.

 _It was not my intention but the will of our Elders…you must drink more water_ a strangely smooth and deep voice echoed through their minds and the girls both cried out in shock, staring wide eyed at the alien who pointed to himself and then their heads.

"Oh great, he's telepathic!" Elizabeth groaned.

 _It is how my people communicate Lizzie_ he was in her head again and Elizabeth cried out in protest,  
"Dammit man don't call me Lizzie!"

Chris had found some comfort in Max's rambling previously, but by now his accent was grating on them all and he could see even Anton, in pain and still looking horribly pale, was clenching his fists and gritting his teeth.

"And there was this one time that I had accidentally-"

"Max." Chris cut him off with a strained smile, "Do us a favour and tone it down a bit hey buddy?" Fistrinn let out a slow breath and Chris could see he was seconds from snapping. "We've been walking for hours already, let's take a break huh?" he suggested. Anton groaned in relief and lay back on the dusty floor of the jungle with a sigh.

"Can we hawe lunch now?" he asked, his accent growing heavy again in his state of agony. Chris glanced at Fistrinn and raised an eyebrow, leaving it up to him. Fistrinn had been tight on supplies and Chris thought it best to just let him have his way with the rations to stop anymore arguments breaking out. Fistrinn nodded once and began handing out some packets of dehydrated something or other, pouring a little water into each. Chris grimaced at the bland taste of a rehydrated sandwhich but was grateful for something to line his stomach and some water to cool him down. The sweat was dripping from them, the air heavy with the sweet smelling humidity and the smell of body odour that each boy had jokingly apologised for. Shirt feeling sticky Chris shucked it off and into his backpack, ignoring the raised eyebrows of his friends. It wasn't like they weren't all buddies now right?

"If we meet any life on this planet they mind find your exposure offensive and indecent." Fistrinn remarked, taking a sip of water. The green blood around his cut had clotted and crusted, leaving an ugly and dirty wound that Chris wanted to disinfect but had nothing to do it with. He was hoping no infection would set in as he needed Fistrinn to help him make the plans they needed to survive. The girls had been gone too long for his liking and with no trail as to where they were headed, Fistrinn had climbed the nearest tree like Kaiyo had done before. His findings were less than fruitful and he had reported seeing hardly anything beneath the canopy of blue leaves, claiming the jungle seemed to stretch for miles and there were few places he could spot any source of water or shelter. Chris grimaced, his feet and legs aching even when he stretched them out and rolled his ankles. Where could they be? Who could they have been taken by? If they'd struggled did that mean there was hostile life here? Fistrinn could see the pensive look on his face and sighed, guessing he'd get no answer from Chris anytime soon.

Oceanic blue eyes met his gaze however and he warily eyed Chris's smirk,  
"Or maybe they'll be so happy to see someone with abs they'll worship us and take us somewhere nice and cool." He suggested playfully. Fistrinn clamped down on his frustration as Max barked a laugh and the pair slapped what he'd heard referred to as 'high five'. Why it would be a five he didn't know. It required ten fingers did it not? Five for you and five for your fellow fiver. Was that even what you called someone who partook in a high five? He'd lived on Earth for all of his life but still wasn't sure, nobody had ever really wanted to high five with him so how was he supposed to know? He surveyed his friends with a critical eye. He'd kept them all hydrated but sweat had plastered their hair to their foreheads and brought out dark patches on their clothes, legs were dirty again from the dusty floor. Chris ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair, making it stick up in places while he wiped the sweat from his brow, "I'll level with you guys, I have no clue where we're going right now but-"Anton's yelp cut him off and suddenly Chris realised the boy was no longer beside him.

Shooting to their feet they called his name in a panic and grabbed a phaser each from Fistrinn's backpack (the only bag that had really survived the mudflow), standing in a loose circle and eyeing the surrounding area. Chris felt his heart beating furiously in his chest and swallowed thickly, trying to dislodge the sudden lump in his throat.

"Anton!" he bellowed.

"H-elp!" the choked out cry came from above them and in shock they stared up to see Anton being suspended by a…was that a vine? Chris quickly tracked the huge black thing to the floor to see it was a tentacle of a huge bush of some sort, standing in the dirt like an upside-down squid, a large red flower blooming in the centre that was glowing yellow in the middle. The yellow glow pulsated along its tentacles and Anton's cry turned to one of pure agony as the pulsating grew stronger and brighter in colour.

"Open fire on that plant!" Chris ordered. The air was filled with the high-pitched hum of phaser fire and a bright blue shot from their guns. Chris felt the slight thrill of the recoil before he braced his arm and tightened his grip, aiming up and cutting through the tentacle. A terrible screeching sound filled the air as the plant fell back, curling in on itself and disappearing into the ground while Anton thumped to the floor, his broken leg now bleeding when the plant had gripped him and bitten into the skin. The gangly teen lay in a pale heap on the ground as Chris bolted over and knelt beside him, checking for a pulse in a panic, "He's breathing!" he declared, relief saturating his tone as Fistrinn appeared beside him.

"Perhaps, but his splint has been broken and his leg is now damaged worse than before." He observed. Chris groaned quietly, knowing they could only do so much without Elizabeth. Damn where were those girls! Max knelt down and used some of his water ration to begin cleaning the blood, and Chris noted with a slightly disgruntled feeling it was his discarded shirt he was using.

"Anton! Come on buddy wake up!" he called, slapping his face lightly and giving his shoulder a shake. "I don't want to be here if that plant comes back so wake up already!"

"Panicking will not solve anything." Fistrinn said calmly, and Chris shot him an unimpressed look.

"I'm trying to wake him up, have any helpful advice for that?" he asked instead of snapping at him, though he desperately wanted to. Fistrinn remained silent and a vicious stab of satisfaction shot through him.

"I canny put that splint back on, either of yer know how to do that?" Max wondered. Both Chris and Fistrinn shook their heads and Chris sighed, rubbing his face with his grimy hands and taking a deep breath to calm down.

"We need to move though, at least out of this area and away from anymore plants like this." He insisted, "Jesus Christ, it's like that old movie…Journey to the Centre of the Earth right?"

"Oh yeah! And that plant tries to strangle the pretty blonde lass!" Max agreed enthusiastically.

"A journey to the centre of Earth would be impossible due to the high temperatures of the Earth's core." Fistrinn said irritatedly.

Chris sighed and clapped his arm as he picked up Anton effortlessly,  
"Fistrinn man, you really got to learn that sometimes logic isn't the answer, sometimes you just need some illogical entertainment." He replied with half a smile, slightly irritated he couldn't just play along. Max could sense the frustration rolling off of the Vulcan boy and wondered if it was wise to have him carrying Anton. What if he got frustrated and threw him? Max shook the thought away and instead focused on not tripping up, because although he wouldn't admit it the heat was starting to mess with his head and he still felt nauseous and off-balance. Whatever poison they'd used had really knocked him for six. He wanted his father if he was being truthful, wanted to be back home in his own bed, feeling well. He wanted to restart this whole thing and actually get to summer camp this time, because as much as he hated the current situation he was grateful to have met these people.

Speaking of people where were the girls? He'd never really thanked Elizabeth for saving his life and was worried he wouldn't get the chance now, and his mother would kill him if she found out because she'd raised a gentleman with manners. The errant thoughts were dizzying in his mind and he took a deep breath to clear them all, wrinkling his nose against the sweet smelling air and wiping some more sweat from his nose with a sigh.

"Next time, can we pick a planet with ice cream?" he thought aloud.

"Blame Anton." Chris said with a chuckle, "Though this was the only Class M planet about to choose."

"We could have stayed on the ship." Fistrinn spoke up, "We would have all been together, Mr Chekov would not have broken his leg and you would not have injured your head." Max could see the conflict on Chris's face but a soon as he caught Max looking it was gone, replaced with a confident and stony gaze he fixed on the Vulcan boy as the Scotsman flinched at the tension rippling between the two.

"I stand by my decision, I'd rather be sweating my ass off down here than being stuck in a slave market elsewhere." He retorted. Max could almost see the fight breaking out there and then, expecting it to come, but both boys held themselves in check as Chris threw on another shirt, "You were right, I don't want to upset any locals." And with that Chris marched on ahead. Glancing back at the Vulcan boy Max took his chance to catch up to Chris.

"Chris, you were right, this is better than a slave market, he's just a little hot is all." He said reassuringly. Chris gave him a sigh in response and nodded once,  
"Thanks, but you have to admit he has a point."

Elizabeth stared intently at Shyling, Kaiyo's new alien friend. He'd let them out of the cage, given them enough water to put their sickness behind them and got them into the shade of his home. He was a young man still living with his mother, though there were no obvious biological differences between the male and females of this population as far as she could see. His mother was called Arla and Elizabeth could only tell them apart because her wispy patch of hair was a dark black colour, other than that they were identical. All of their conversations so far had been telepathic and she was getting a headache, too many voices in her head and too many things she wanted to keep private on display. Elizabeth had been given back her medical kit and they'd given them a chance to wash up and clean the mud off of their bodies completely.

The cold water had refreshed them both and Kaiyo was quite happily getting on with the aliens while Elizabeth sat in the corner, her signature glare on her face that the timid Arla and Shyling had stayed away from. Kaiyo cast her a glance every now and then, as if expecting her to have ran away – she was half tempted too but refused to leave Kaiyo behind. Calling her naïve may have been harsh, but Elizabeth didn't share her willingness to trust these aliens for a few simple acts of kindness. Eventually, Shyling and Arla left them be and Kaiyo sat on the floor beside Elizabeth, who continued to stare sourly at the floor.

"You know, they're actually really nice." She said casually. Elizabeth didn't look up. "This planet, it's called Eldirania, these people are the Nia. Simple obviously, technology not as advanced as our own but they've learnt to-"

"I don't really care." Elizabeth interrupted with a small huff, "I woke up in a cage, that's all I need to know." Kaiyo shook her head, eyes narrowing and pure irritation rippling from her in waves.

"How can you be so closed minded? If you're wondering why you don't have any friends it's because you're adept at pushing away anyone showing you a hint of kindness." She snapped, standing and leaving her alone. Elizabeth watched her leave with a scathing glare on her face, outraged she'd dare say it. She knew she was grumpy, she knew she wasn't the kind of person people felt drawn to (more repulsed by if she was honest) but she didn't need that stuck up little…Elizabeth refused to think it and instead leaned her head back against the wall of the hut with a resigned sigh.

"Dammit Liz what the hell's wrong with you?" she grumbled to herself. Where were they on this damn planet anyway? Were the boys trying to find them? Elizabeth didn't think they'd be encouraging Kaiyo to leave anytime soon, and it _was_ nice and cool in this hut. Actually, Elizabeth had chills for the first time since being on this planet. Pushing to her feet she took a deep breath and headed for the door, squinting out into the sunlight and feeling the heat was not quite so intense as the sun began to set. She was shocked to see dozens of those people, those Nia, all standing in the clearing now that they had come out of their homes. Kaiyo was helping them to build a bonfire, the carcass of some sort of ugly three headed animal sitting nearby that was no doubt going to be cooked. Elizabeth felt her stomach turn and quickly looked away, catching one of the aliens loping towards her.

 _You are the healer?_ The voice was more feminine this time and Elizabeth frowned slightly, still not quite over the fact her mind was on display like art at a gallery.

"I'm in training, I ain't no qualified Doctor." She answered. Kaiyo was watching carefully as Elizabeth reluctantly spoke to the woman before her, a woman Shyling had introduced as Meyen, his betrothed.

 _But you are still knowledgeable in the world of medicines_ the woman was almost accusing her and a flash of irritation shot through Elizabeth. Nothing felt right here, she felt like was on probation, constantly watched.

"Well yeah, if you put it that way I guess." She grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. Sensing the uncomfortable aura Elizabeth was radiating Kaiyo wandered over and greeted the women with a strange sort of handshake involving the bowing of heads and a curtsey. The woman was pointing back towards another hut identical to the one Shyling lived in with a different cloth as her door.

 _My father is dying, please help him_ she thought, a hint of desperation clouding her tone as her voice echoed through their heads. Kaiyo was already nodding empathically when Elizabeth's eyes widened, her heart thudding to a stop. Grabbing Kaiyo's arm she dragged her out of the way as nightfall set in and chased away the remaining sun.

"What are you doin'? You can't sign me up for this!" she hissed.

"They saved our lives! We can at least try to save his!" Kaiyo snapped, yanking her arm from her grip, "It's what Doctors do right?"

"Yeah, doctors! I ain't no doctor though! I don't know anythin' about their physiology or what type of illnesses are on this damn planet!" Elizabeth returned.

Kaiyo frowned,  
"You at least have to try." She implored, "I don't care if you don't trust them Elizabeth, they're good people, if you can't trust them then at least trust _me_." Elizabeth scoffed and glared her down, her frustration overtaking her common sense.

"I don't trust people." She answered bluntly, cringing at the way Kaiyo flinched and looked away. The silence between them was heavy and thick and Elizabeth sighed, running a hand through her hair and feeling her heartbeat wildly, "Let me grab my stuff." She grumbled, stalking towards the hut she came from and missing the way Kaiyo smiled slightly after her. Maybe this was what she needed to change her mind and realise the Nia weren't so bad after all? Meyen came to stand beside her and placed a cool hand on her shoulder. Kaiyo's eyes flashed pure white before a serene smile graced her face and she leaned into her touch.


	11. Chapter 11: A First Time for Everything

Anton was back limping between them and Max had been oddly quiet for a while, but Chris found it fairly pleasant to just listen to the bird calls and amble through the jungle. Legs aching (backs to for Fistrinn and Chris who had carried Anton further than they thought possible) they trekked on. The ground had been sloping downward for a while and was cooler down here where the suns couldn't reach, and Chris was relieved to have finally stopped sweating. The air smelled less sweet and more stagnant down here, like water that had stood for too long and Chris wrinkled his nose against the smell.

"It's not nice, is it?" Max agreed, rolling his neck and pausing to adjust the backpack for a moment.

"Want to swap with me or Fistrinn?" Chris offered, nodding at the backpack.

Fistrinn gave him an almost haughty look,  
"I can continue, you may swap if you feel so inclined." He interrupted. Chris narrowed his eyes on him, having enough of the Vulcan's stodgy attitude,  
"Oh I'm fine." Chris assured him, totally lying, "Max just looked like he needed a break."

Max eyed the two warily,  
"Really you two you canny start-"

"Water!" Anton gasped. Frowning down at him Chris followed his gaze to spot the ghoulish green moss growing underneath the vegetation. The trees with the blue leaves had faded into smaller looking yellow shrubs with grey flowers that looked like limp rat fur, but there were still a few trees about. These trees however were much taller and their trunks a lot thicker, thicker than Fistrinn Anton and Chris combined with a spiral pattern of vines that disappeared into the treetops. He could see larger vines encased in pretty white flowers tumbling down from large green leaves that shadowed them like umbrellas from the cruel sun. Anton was right though, the moss was damp, damp enough to be dripping which meant there was water nearby.

"This would be good news had Miss McCoy not disappeared with any medical supplies that could purify the water for us." Fistrinn remarked blandly. They had tried to ration but it was simply too hot to be effective and were now running low, not dangerously low, but low enough to worry Chris. Sighing to himself he shook his head, the resignation in his voice making Max frown.

"Let's follow it, the source of a river is always upstream right?" he asked tiredly. They'd been walking for hours and with little sleep last night they were all exhausted, even Fistrinn was looking a little tired by this point. With no other plan, his friends agreed to follow. They'd been doing that a lot Chris realised, following him, trusting him. It gave him confidence to know they had confidence in him and Chris wondered if his dad would be proud of what they'd achieved so far. He'd learnt from his father's stories, knew that he couldn't hope to survive in space alone but every now and then he just had to trust his gut instincts and get others to play along, so he'd tried to inspire the kind of respect and loyalty among them as his father once had with his crew. They didn't have to travel far before they heard the crashing sounds of water and Chris saw with some surprise that there was a waterfall leading down into a deep dark hole in a clearing. Anton's green eyes had widened and he regarded the waterfall with awe, mumbling in Russian under his breath.

"I don't know what ya mean, but I second that." Max breathed. It was beautiful. The water was clear and crystalline blue despite tumbling over dirt and rock, and the cool spray was chilling on their skin as they stood by the edge.

"How far down do you think it-"Chris's question was cut off by the sound of a horn, a low pitched drawn out noise that made their ears ring and their muscles tense. Fistrinn and Chris drew their phasers, keeping a tight grip on Anton as Max stepped up beside them with a vicious grin, looking ready to use his own weapon in a way Chris found slightly disturbing. Humanoid aliens began emerging from the trees and Chris felt his stomach drop. They were white, almost translucent with all of their organs and a simplified web of veins on display, ice blue eyes piercing through them. They had no ears but did have mouths, complete with a set of knife like black teeth that looked sharp and deadly. They were taller than even Fistrinn (who was roughly six foot four) and holding spears and bows and arrows, covered by some sort of animal skin. It was a mixture of men and women which surprised Chris; most civilisations this primitive had a hierarchy where women were inferior to men yet there they stood beside the opposite sex wielding their own weapons. The only way Chris could tell they were women was the fact that their animal skins were fashioned into skirts and dresses that covered breasts and rears slightly rounder than their male counterparts.

"We're way outnumbered, lower your phasers and try to be friendly." Chris muttered from the corner of his mouth, turning his phaser towards the ground slowly and keeping it held in a loose grip by his thigh. Fistrinn shot him an annoyed glance as Max hesitated to obey.

"And if they're hostile?" he asked. Chris shot them both a look as what appeared to be the leader stepped forward, a headdress of thin wooden shavings woven into some sort of crown on his head. They all had platinum blonde almost white hair he realised, all fashioned into different styles with some short and some long – it gave them a sense of individual identity he realised.

"We are not the trespassers here." His English was flawless and his voice strangely smooth and whispery. Chris swallowed thickly, having no idea how to handle first contact and shooting a look at Fistrinn for help, who simply stared back at him impassively. Chris felt irritation bubble up inside him – so now he stopped chipping in?

"We didn't mean to trespass, we're sorry, we don't know the layout of this planet." He apologised sincerely, heart beating wildly.

The alien tilted his head,  
"If it truly was a mistake then you need not fear us." He promised, "Your friend is injured and you are all tired, I sense no threat from you." Max nodded once and both Fistrinn and Chris glared at him slightly, making him shrink back with a sheepish smile. "We are the Aran, and I am Kelon, leader of my people." His introduction was complete with a hand gesture Chris tried to imitate, struggling to keep Anton upright as he did so and more than sure he looked like he'd been electrocuted.

"Nice to meet you…my name is Chris. These are my friends Max, Fistrinn and Anton." He replied with what he hoped was a friendly smile, "I don't suppose you've seen two females around here have you? One's got hair like mine, the others got dark hair like his?" he jerked a thumb at Fistrinn and found him desperately hoping Kelon would say yes. Elizabeth and Kaiyo had been gone for hours and they were no closer to finding them while wondering helplessly around the jungle. Kelon however shook his head and crushed his hopes.

"My apologies but I have seen no one like you, you are the first of your kind to venture here." He informed them, "Come, join us in our home so we may get to know one another better." He invited. Chris glanced at Fistrinn and Max who simply stared at him, waiting for his reply. He swallowed thickly, forcing a smile and nodding once, feeling the weight of the decision push the air from his lungs.

"That sounds like a great idea." He agreed, not seeing any other option while they were outnumbered and outgunned. Fistrinn was incredibly unhappy, covered in muck now chilly rather than sweaty and aching despite his endurance being fairly high - he did not fancy following mysterious aliens down into the ground behind a waterfall where they were vulnerable to attack.

"I believe this to be a mistake." He muttered, going ignored by Chris and Max. Chris had made it a point to ignore him recently he'd noticed, finding a threat to his authority maybe? Fistrinn had been encroaching on that particular territory, trying for a slow take over to prevent any more failures on behalf of the human teen. There was a whole village behind the waterfall; wooden huts with chimneys and a large stone stage in the centre of their small civilisation gave the place a community feel. Smaller Aran's, children they guessed, stopped running around playing tag to watch them pass by, whispering to one another too quietly for them to hear as the adults watched curiously. The village grew quiet but Kelon didn't seem bothered, handing his bow and arrows off to a friend to take away before leading them into the largest and most grandiose hut decorated with some of those vines covered with white blossom they'd seen earlier. The furniture was simple and wooden, a table and chairs, a low-down bed and a small set of shelves holding souvenirs or talismans of some sort. The particularly disturbing animal head gave Chris a bad vibe but Kelon didn't spare it a glance before gesturing to the wooden bath in the corner.

"You may clean up, I must organise the returning party if you'll excuse me." He left calmly and they slowly lowered Anton into a chair.

"How do we know the waters safe enough to wash in though?" Chris thought aloud. Max apparently hadn't though that far ahead and had splashed some in his face with a sigh.

"It's sort of sweet." He announced.

"Max!" Chris and Anton groaned in unison and he frowned, perplexed. Fistrinn pinched the bridge of his nose, wondering how on earth his father had put up with these humans. Personally, he much preferred New Vulcan, the home of logic and science where emotion was not an irritating factor in cognitive processes. They waited a few minutes, watching Max carefully for any signs of sickness or a rash of some sort before Chris gave in, moving over to wash away the dried up sweat on the back of his neck with a sigh. The cool water was refreshing and it was nice to rid himself of the sweat and dirt the past few days had encrusted onto his skin. Feeling cooler and cleaner he'd changed into his jeans and a grey shirt, humming contentedly before helping Anton clean up a little and slip on a pair of jeans too. The Russian boy had thanked him quietly and after a sip of water they sat in silence but it was tense and heavy, awkward.

"Kelon seems nice." Max said finally, trying to make conversation.

"Yet his intentions remain unclear." Fistrinn butted in with a disapproving look that made Chris's skin crawl with disgust. He was getting a little tired of being judged by the Vulcan boy if he was honest.

"Yet if he wanted to hurt us we'd be dead already." Chris pointed out, "We're outnumbered, out gunned, there's nowhere to run when you don't know where you're running to so this was logically the only option."

"Logic dictates we could have taken them out easily with our advanced weaponary and escaped." Fistrinn retorted, "One of many logical decisions you have failed to make." Max tried to butt in to cool things down but Chris moved to stand in front of Fistrinn with a glare, fists clenching at his sides.

"Oh yeah? I haven't seen you offering up alternative ideas." He retorted waspishly, irritation spiking through him.

"You are our leader, I trusted your judgement, it appears I was wrong to do so." Fistrinn countered, making Chris clench his fists, "Miss Sulu and Miss McCoy are missing, Mr Chekov is injured and under your care Mr Scott still managed to test water that may or may not have caused illness. We have also been ejected onto a planet-"

"I don't need a list of my mistakes!" Chris snapped angrily. The silence in the room was deafening with both boys glaring at one another heatedly. Max was trying to gain their attention again and break up the argument before it could escalate further but the words were stuck in his mouth. Everything Fistrinn had said was technically true, but it clearly hurt Chris to hear it.

"You are not your father." Fistrinn said finally, and the venom in his tone pushed Chris over the edge.

"I know that!" he exploded, "I know I'm nowhere near as great as him or my grandfather or Pike! I get that, okay? I've made mistakes, I've done things that aren't logical but I'm trying my best! If we're going to survive this then we-"

"If we're going to survive this then perhaps we should stop listening to your flawed ideas." Fistrinn interrupted. Chris felt white hot fury boil through him at that but in his head he could see his father telling him to find another way. However, the Kirk family trait of explosive and impulsive anger won out and he was unable to resist from saying,  
"And you're perfect, are you? If I recall being Vulcan doesn't make you perfect Fistrinn, in fact, your half Vulcan dad made quite a few mistakes too right? It's only _logical_ that you could inherit some of that stupidity."

The words tasted like acid and he regretted them the moment they'd left his mouth, even more so when Fistrinn knocked him to the floor with a single punch. Max cried out his name and hurriedly got between them while Anton sat quietly in shock. Chris's jaw throbbed and he slowly rubbed the sore spot where Fistrinn's fist had connected, staring up at the Vulcan and finding a myriad of emotions in his eyes. Anger, betrayal, hurt, all of them hurting Chris more. He hadn't meant to be so cruel and as Max helped him to his feet he knew he had to make it right.  
"I shouldn't have said that, I'm sorry." He said quietly.

Fistrinn glanced at him but looked away again, staying silent and unresponsive as the guilt gnawed at his chest.

"We're all a little frustrated and afraid, but we don't fight, remember?" Max said firmly, looking between the two boys as Chris nodded solemnly.

"I know, it was stupid, heat of the moment." He insisted, "I'm sorry Fistrinn I really am." Fistrinn slowly nodded, unclenching his fists and releasing a slow breath.

"Do you think our parents are really coming?" Anton asked quietly. The boys looked at each other, finding comfort in the anxiety in each other's eyes.

"Yes." Fistrinn said finally, nodding once, "Christopher's plan was sure to work. They will have read the message and will be on their way."

"Yeah!" Max agreed enthusiastically. He was grinning again in that way that was infectious, blue eyes sparkling and damp hair sticking up at odd angles where he'd ran his hand through it. "It's okay to say it ya know, I miss my folks to." He said, shrugging half a shoulder, "My ma's having a baby, I've got a little brother or sister to be gettin' back to." Chris eyed him in understanding.

"I have a little sister too." He said quietly, "Fia…man she drives me mad but I miss her." They shared a moment of silence before Chris drew himself up to his fullest height, seeing his little sister in his mind and her promise that when he came back she'd have drawn him lots of pictures of what she'd done over the summer. "That's why we need to stick together, we got this far working as a team and…maybe we're still working out the kinks, but if we're going to get through this we need to keep working together." He said encouragingly, "From now on no more fights, just teamwork, yeah?" The boys nodded in agreement and Fistrinn inclined his head,  
"For the record, I do believe that was the decision of a good leader."

Chris gave him a thankful nod in reply as Kelon came wondering in, watching them through icy blue eyes that were devoid of any emotion. They'd been invited to the evening bonfire and were currently now sat around with some of their own rations of food (some of the last they had) while the Aran roasted a large animal the size of a buffalo on the fire, singing and dancing and playing drums as their children ran around the fire and fought with sticks. Kelon had explained some of their customs, telling them the drums were to ward off demons while the fire would invite in good spirits, and the songs were ancient songs passed down from their ancestors. It was all fascinating and Chris found himself slowly relaxing in the communal atmosphere, his gut telling him this was a good place to be. Max had wondered off to play with the children (being a big kid himself) and was showing them a trick with the fire, using a burning stick and a spritz of the body spray Kaiyo had packed to make the flames grow.

Anton had had his leg bound to some wooden splints and was quite happily chatting to a nearby woman about how a lighter worked back on Earth. Kelon gestured for Chris to join him, claiming he wanted to show him something, and Chris trustingly followed him through a glowing gap in the cave wall to another cavernous room. This one however held a soft white glow emitted from a large tree. Chris stared at it in awe, watching its branches bend and bow in the cavern as the neon white blossoms fell in tangled wisps to the base of the thick trunk. It was a smaller version of the trees up above he realised, only handmade wreaths of flowers littered the tree trunk.

"The Aran tree, what my people are named after." Kelon informed him, placing a single red flower at the base of the tree and clasping his hands together. Chris felt as though he were intruding on a private moment in the cave, the muffled sounds of the bonfire outside reaching his ears. He felt oddly relaxed here however and didn't want to leave just yet.

"It's peaceful here." He said quietly, smiling at Kelon who smiled back and nodded once in a very Fistrinn like way.

"This tree houses the thoughts of my people. We are one half of a telepathic species, which was how we learnt your language so fast. The others ventured into the outside world and wandered under the sun for so long they calcified in the sunlight, they were so silent the next generation were born without mouths. The Aran however stayed underground, only venturing out when necessary, but despite our community there are times when my people need a space of their own to think. This tree can take your thoughts and those enlightened enough may receive a reply from the Gods." Kelon explained to him, and proceeded to instruct him to breathe deeply and clear his mind. Chris frowned but did as he was asked, taking slow deep breaths and ignoring the chill of the cave on his bare arms. Though it took a few minutes his mind began to fill with whispers. He didn't understand the language, but as they blended and danced in his mind he found the noise oddly beautiful.

"That's incredible." He breathed, wondering how it worked and if Fistrinn would have an answer for him later. Kelon simply smiled in response as Chris worked over the information he'd been given in his mind, slowly starting to frown in confusion, "Wait, you say you're one half of a species but…the ones that calcified, do you know what happened to them?" he asked. Kelon nodded, suddenly looking grave.

"They are the Nia, they live out in the sunlight now having adapted to it. We have been at odds with them for centuries, long before I was leader of my people. They will attack randomly at times and in response we defend ourselves and drive them back to their homes, they want the Aran tree for themselves to boost their power, to reach out telepathically in order to leave this world." He replied. Chris felt his stomach churn nauseously, a lump rising in his throat as his brows pinched together. Kelon noticed the worried look in his expression and Chris forced himself to speak past the bile rising in his throat.

"If they found any outsiders, what would they do to them?" he asked. Kelon frowned (which was impressive considering he didn't have eyebrows) and took a moment to think about it. The silence stretched on for a moment but it felt like a lifetime to Chris as he waited with baited breath.

"I do not truly know, but I believe it would be reasonable to assume they would use them for their own gains. The Nia aim to find a way off of this planet and an outsider could help with that." Kelon reasoned. Chris felt his breath catch in his throat, gut feeling telling him this wasn't good, not at all. Elizabeth and Kaiyo had been taken and had been gone for so long…with no way of knowing what was happening to them it made Chris all the more anxious to find them.

"The females I spoke of earlier, our other friends, there were signs of a struggle and we haven't been able to find them, if these Nia have them we need to find them. I won't ask you to provoke an attack on your people Kelon, but I'd like to impose on your hospitality a little more by asking for help in finding these Nia." Chris said determinedly. Kelon blinked impassively, glancing towards the Aran tree as Chris waited with baited breath. He had promised to try and look after Lizzie, Lizzie who had helped Max, helped Anton, helped him. Kaiyo who had made the nervous Russian boy feel so at ease with them, who had slotted seamlessly into their team from the get go and made an effort to ensure everyone else did too. Chris's fingers automatically went to the wound on the back of his head, and other than being a little tender he found it was no longer paining him much. Kelon slowly nodded his head, and Chris felt his muscles relax slightly.

"I appreciate your diplomacy. Tomorrow I will have Nagala and Gimitro show you the way…I do not know what brought you to this planet, but I see a good spirit in you, Christopher Kirk." Kelon said calmly.

Chris chuckled lightly,  
"Thank you. We're not really supposed to be here, we got into trouble and had to escape somewhere and this was the nearest planet." He confessed, "We sent a message back home, our parents should be coming…we just have to wait."

"Faith got you this far." Kelon said, "It make sense that you should hold onto that faith in order to move forward." Chris wanted to scoff but nodded slightly, trying to look appreciative as they headed back out. Fistrinn gave him a curious glance and Chris moved over to his side to inform him of Kelon's hospitality as the Aran's moved to kneel around the fire, humming an ancient sounding song. Max had paint all over his face where the children had painted him and Anton chuckled at his appearance.

"You look like ze clowns from ze old circuses." he teased. Max frowned, puffing out his chest indignantly,  
"This is the face paint of a brave warrior!" he whispered furiously, "I'm ya real life Xena!"

"Xena was a warrior Princess, Max." Chris reminded him with a smirk. "Huh, Princess Maxwell Scott the 2nd, has a nice ring to it." Max groaned quietly as his friends laughed quietly at him. The knowledge that they'd soon be all together again, whether for better or worse, was comforting. Together they stood a fighting chance, together they could survive.


	12. Chapter 12: Battle Wounds

Elizabeth sighed deeply, rubbing her eyes tiredly and pulling back from her tricorder with a scowl plastered on her face. She hadn't left the hut all night having lost track of time and was desperate for something to eat and drink, her stomach cramping hungrily and mouth feeling horribly dry. She'd heard Kaiyo laughing in the distance once or twice, having fun with her new Nia friends. Elizabeth found them all unbearably creepy. Whoever this one was again, he'd been poisoned by one of the native plants and for the life of her she was unable to figure out what would help him. She had a better understanding of their physiology now and had been going through texts, finding them easy to translate oddly as she read up on the plant life here and what it could do. Getting to her feet she forced her stiff legs to move, finding night had fallen and brought with it the freezing cold. The Nia were all in their huts, huddled around fires to keep warm. Kaiyo was stood in the doorway of one hut, Arla's if Elizabeth remembered correctly, but before she called out she narrowed her eyes on the interaction suspiciously.

She shuddered, seeing the grip Arla had on Kaiyo's shoulder as an uneasy feeling passed over her. Kaiyo was smiling serenely, as though she hadn't a care in the world and as Elizabeth edged closer. They both snapped their heads towards them. Kaiyo's eyes were a sickening milky white colour, not a trace of their usual dark colour left in them. Elizabeth gasped.

"What the hell are you doin' to her?" she demanded, backing up as they began to advanced towards her. The Nia began moving out of their huts then, loping towards her in that ape like way of theirs. Elizabeth trembled slightly, hands clenching into fists as she stumbled backwards and into the hut she'd left her equipment in. Heart pounding she scrabbled desperately in her bag for something to protect herself with as Kaiyo's voice, oddly smooth and detached called her name. Shoving in what equipment and notes she could she shouldered the backpack and hid the sedative behind her thigh.

"Elizabeth, you need not fear us." Kaiyo tilted her head with that creepy smile still plastered on her damn face.

Elizabeth inhaled sharply,  
"What the hell have they done to ya Kaiyo!" she snapped, backing away slightly as the girl she had thought she could call friend advanced on her with a hand outstretched.

"Nothing has been done to this body." Kaiyo said. Elizabeth's glare was more deadly than it had ever been as adrenaline shot through her veins.

"The body? What the hell is this, a possession?" she questioned. Kaiyo remained silent and Elizabeth's breath left her in a rush as a terrible screech came from outside, it sounded like a strangled bird.

"It doesn't matter, soon you will join us, soon you will feel peace." Kaiyo insisted, moving towards her again.

"Elizabeth! Kaiyo!" that voice! That damn voice!

"I'm sorry Kaiyo...I'm comin' back for ya." Elizabeth promised in a whisper, guilt gnawing at her from the inside out as she darted around the teen and burst out of the door, "Chris!" she screamed for the irritating boy at the top of her lungs and a stab of relief shot through the teen when she spotted the familiar figures in the distance. They stood on the outskirts of the village, phasers raised as the Nia drew bows and arrows, however from the trees more arrows rained down on them.

"Elizabeth grab kaiyo and come on!" Chris bellowed. The Nia screeched in her head, enough to make her ears ring and her body cringe but before she could move towards them Kaiyo had tackled her to the ground. The two girls rolled as Chris watched in confusion.

"What is Miss Sulu doing?" Fistrinn sounded disbelieving and Chris opened his mouth to respond but found no answer. "Christopher!" he called his name urgently, a warning. Chris barely dodged the arrow that came flying at him and he looked back at Elizabeth and Kaiyo desperately, watching the southern girl squirm as Kaiyo choked her.

"Fistrinn I don't think that's Kaiyo." he said, lifting his phaser in a split-second decision and firing on the Nia. Fistrinn followed him. Chris could feel his heart beating wildly, feel the tremors in his hands though he forced them to remain firm. "Elizabeth! Come on! You can do this!" Chris yelled, "Come on!" Watching the advanced weaponary in action had momentarily stunned the rest of the Nia. Elizabeth scrabbled at Kaiyo's firm grip desperately, lungs burning for oxygen before her hand shot out to grab a nearby rock. She grimaced and mentally apologised before bringing it crashing down on Kaiyo's temple. She slumped unconsciously to the floor, rising unsteadily to her feet and dragging in lungfuls of oxygen. She stared at Kaiyo's limp body, the blood oozing from her head and cringed.

"We will return for Miss Sulu, but you must run Miss McCoy!" Fistrinn shouted. So, Elizabeth ran. Chris could see the pure torment on her face behind the scowl as she sprinted for them, legs shaking slightly. Chris quickly grabbed the backpack off of her as soon as she was close enough and tossed it to Fistrinn, who shouldered it and covered them as Chris backed up with her.

"Run Christopher!" Nagala barked from the trees.

"What the hell is-"

"Not now Lizzie, just run and follow the translucent guy!" Chris ordered, pushing her ahead of him before turning to cover Fistrinn so he could run for them. They ran for a while, longer than they thought they could until Elizabeth finally tripped and fell, gasping and unable to get back up. Nagala and Gimitro stood, panting slightly with their bows clutched tightly in their hands, their visible veins pulsing as their bodies demanded more blood to flow faster. Chris watched the blonde girl struggle to get any air and gently placed a hand on her arm, needing to feel she was solid and real.

"Easy Lizzie, easy, deep breaths." he coached, "It's okay, we can go back for Kaiyo another time, just catch your breath." Her eyes met his, chocolate orbs showing a guilt so intense it threatened to swallow her whole. There were bags under her eyes and her complexion was pale, "When did you last sleep?" he asked breathlessly. Elizabeth shook her head, trembling as the adrenaline began to fade and the chill of the night air kicked in. Chris moved closer, holding her to his chest and feeling her sag against him tiredly. She was coated in dry sweat and smelled fairly unpleasant, but she was back, and Chris had never felt more relieved.

"I...I think I'm gonna...gonna pass out." she confessed, and Chris took the rest of her weight as she did just that. Worriedly he brushed the hair from her face and looked up at Fistrinn.

"Exhaustion?" he guessed. Fistrinn nodded,  
"Most likely." he agreed, "All the more reason we should get back."

Chris nodded, handing him his phaser before picking her up with ease, cradling her to his chest and looking at Nagala and Gimitro.

"Yo guys were incredible, thank you." he said sincerely. They simply nodded once and turned to continue walking. Chris and Fistrinn followed, a knot of worry forming in his gut as he looked down at the unconscious girl and thought of the girl they'd left behind.

 **The U.S.S Enterprise**

"We're approaching the planet." Pavel chekov announced quietly. He was worried, horribly so. His son had a fairly nervous disposition, quite shy and timid by nature, how was that serving him? Were they looking out for each other? Was his son okay? Jim Kirk had been so stoic, so focused and determined and optimistic, how Pavel wished he could share his view.

"I'm reading an Ion storm in the atmosphere." Spock declared, a hard look in his brown eyes. Jim mentally cursed, fist clenching on the panel of his command chair.

"That makes transporter travel impossible at these levels, and it's unlikely we'll be able to get a shuttle down in one piece, this storms getting more intense by the minute." Hikaru Sulu sounded frustrated and Jim understood perfectly. This was their children for god's sake!

"I don't want to wait any more than you, but there's no sense in risking ourselves, we'll be of no use to our kids dead or injured." Jim said finally, reluctance in his voice, "Is there any way of sending them a message somehow? At least let them know we're here?" The crew remained silent and Jim felt his stomach twist uncomfortably.

"It's a Level 8 storm Jim." Spock said quietly, his way of indirectly telling him that no, there wasn't anything they could do. Nyota took a deep breath, eyes closing as if she could telepathically communicate with her son.

"Actually...zere might be." Pavel said slowly, a thoughtful frown on his face. "Well, a torpedo would get through ze ion storm, yes? What if we take out ze explosive bit and instead put a message inside it? Like messages in bottles." He suggested. Jim was already communicating with Scotty, who quite literally laughed him off,  
"Jim, if anyone can find a way I'm yer man."

 **Planet Surface**

Elizabeth had been asleep for hours now, well into the morning. Kelon had stopped by once or twice but Chris had refused to leave the room until she woke up. She'd turned over in her sleep, resting now on her side with a less angry expression and a more peaceful one. The distant crash of the waterfall wasn't enough to sooth Chris's turbulent thoughts today.

"Christopher?" Fistrinn stood in the doorway with a solemn expression, but he couldn't quite tame the excitement in his eyes. "Something had caused seismic activity, kelon is sending a party out to see what it was...would you like to join us?"

"Us?" Chris muttered confusedly, tearing his eyes away from Elizabeth and frowning at him.

"I am joining them, I am curious." Fistrinn confessed.

"A curious Vulcan huh?" Chris asked with tired amusement, "I'll stay here...just be safe Fistrinn." Fistrinn nodded once, opened his mouth like he was going to say something then thought better of it and turned away in silence. Chris sighed, looking back at Elizabeth. What had she been through? What had they done to Kaiyo? How could he have failed to protect her like this? Had the Nia got to her too? It took another two hours before she managed to roll onto her back, hitting her arm off of the wooden wall of the hut and blinking groggily in surprise as she finally woke up. "Hey sleepy head." he greeted her, voice quiet and soft so as not to startle her. Elizabeth seemed to take a moment to recognise his face before her signature glare fell onto her face.

"You took your time, hick." she croaked. Chris ignored her and instead held out a cup of water, watching her drink unquestioningly with a desperate kind of thirst. Her stomach growled loudly and Chris's eyebrows furrowed, concern etched into her expression.

"When did you last eat?" he asked. Elizabeth shrugged, slowly sitting up and exhaling slowly. Her limbs felt heavy and tired despite her long sleep. Chris had saved some rations for her and handed her an energy bar and a sandwich. It would sate her for now at least. "Lizzie...I'm so sorry we didn't find you sooner." he said quietly. She could see the guilt written all over his face but didn't know how to take some of the weight off of his shoulders, after all, _she_ was the one that left Kaiyo behind. His oceanic eyes bored deeply into hers and she had to look away, feeling her heart pound horribly. She'd been so tragically desperate to hear his voice during her time with the Nia, wished for his authoritative presence to tell her he had a plan, that things would be okay. But nothing was okay. Kaiyo was possessed and Elizabeth had done nothing but hit her and leave her behind to help. She was so lost in her reverie she didn't hear Chris calling her name, and worriedly he held her hand tightly between his, "Lizzie please talk to me." he pleaded. Just like that she snapped back into herself, glaring at him and furiously saying  
"Dammit man don't call me Lizzie!"

Chris sighed in relief and she scowled at him heartily, "Kaiyo's been possessed by those Nia freaks, and what the hell were those see through people last night?" she demanded. Chris chuckled briefly, his expression showing just how tired he was all of a sudden. He had voluntarily taken the role of leader but he couldn't deny it was exhausting. Elizabeth yanked her hand out of his grip and narrowed her eyes on him, an evaluative stare that made him shudder with its intensity.

"They're the Aran, the sister species I guess to those Nia you ended up with. They're the good guys though, Kelon's done nothing but help us since we met him and he helped organise your rescue party." he explained.

"When did you last sleep?" she asked him, ignoring everything he'd just said. Chris remained silent and she scowled, standing up and taking a moment to gather her balance before forcibly moving him onto the bed, "Sleep, dumb hick." she grumbled, heading for the backpack she had brought with her and rummaging through it. Chris propped himself up on his elbows incredulously, watching the woman move with purpose.

"What are you doing? You need to rest." he said. Elizabeth didn't bother glancing back at him, desperately trying to hide the blush on her cheeks and the pounding of her heart. It'd be so much easier if he wasn't so attentive.

"Finding somethin' to do. I've had enough of aliens for a while." she snapped, but her heart wasn't into the bitter tone of her voice when she was so oddly relieved to be back with him. She wasn't used to having people care about her, nor caring enough about other people to feel this kind of...joy? Yeah, she was _happy._ Ugh.

"What are you doing?" Chris asked again, though sounding more curious now than annoyed with her. Elizabeth risked a glance back behind her, almost groaning when she realised he'd been in the middle of swapping his shirt over and was currently shirtless. Damn he was toned, this kid worked out. Elizabeth organised her notes in front of her and grabbed the tricorder again, running back over what she had before and spouting it out to Chris as she went.

"There was a Nia guy, got himself poisoned by one of the plants here. They gave me loads of scripts and texts talking about different plants here thinking I could make a cure, I ain't had much luck but it's something to keep my mind busy." she retorted, "Now, _go to sleep!_ " she huffed and shook her head. Chris listened as she muttered to herself, using her voice to lull himself into sleep. It felt like it was only moments later when Max's booming voice was jolting him out of sleep again. Elizabeth had leapt from her chair in shock, jaw slack and eyes wide as Chris asked him what the problem was. "Good god man someone better be dyin' out there!" she snapped agitatedly. Max shrank back from her, skirting around her slightly with a sheepish grin to reach Chris and tug him up.

"It's a torpedo!" he crowed, excitement glistening in his eyes.

Chris frowned,  
"What's a torpedo?" he asked confusedly, struggling to catch up in his post sleep state.

"The seismic activity Fistrinn was goin' on about! It's a torpedo!" he repeated, nearly jumping up and down.

"And that's good because?" Elizabeth prompted, southern drawl growing heavier with her irritation.

"Because it's from the Enterprise!" he yelled, this time unable to stop himself from clapping Chris's shoulder, hard enough that the boy stumbled a little and rubbed his shoulder absent mindedly.

"The Enterprise? Oh my god, the Enterprise!" It hit him suddenly and he grinned at Elizabeth, dragging her out of the hut with him to run towards the centre of the village where Kelon was keeping his people back while Fistrinn and Anton rummaged around in the shell of the thing. Chris held his breath, his heart pounding as Fistrinn silently handed him a PADD and turned back to the torpedo to give him some privacy. Chris felt his knees go weak and involuntarily slid to the floor at the sight of his dad on screen. Elizabeth fell beside him in worry, hand going to his head to check his temperature before seeing the image and falling back onto her hunches in shock.

"Chris, Elizabeth, Anton, Fistrinn, Max, Kaiyo, I don't know if you'll even get this but...if you do know that we're here, we're in the space above the planet right now and we're coming for you. There's a level 8 Ion storm preventing us from getting down to you right now though so we have to stay up here. I don't know what you've been through down there and I'm hoping I'm not asking too much of you if I tell you to stay strong a little while longer. We sent down some essentials in case you needed them, water, food, clothes and medical stuff...we love you, all of you. Hold on." Jim Kirk closed his speech with a firm and simple order, one Chris found himself nodding to.

"I can do that dad." he promised quietly. Elizabeth was staring at the screen with an unreadable expression and his heart ached for her. She wanted to see her dad more than anything and if Chris understood it right, her dad was the only person she had. Looping an arm around her shoulders he pulled her against his side and swallowed thickly, "He sent you medical supplies, he's thinking of you." he assured her. Elizabeth didn't respond, the sour expression on her face saying it all.

"I know." she said finally, "But Kaiyo ain't here to know that." Chris frowned slightly, feeling the guilt tense her shoulders and not knowing how to comfort her. Taking his chances he dropped his chin on top of her head and rubbed her arm gently.

"Kaiyo will come home with us, she'll be with her parents again." he vowed. It didn't change the fact that Kaiyo was in pain, her head pounding like a pick axe was working on her skull from the inside out. Blinking groggily she looked around at the interior of the hut, seeing the sunlight come streaming in from outside and wincing against the harsh light. Her head was jerked back to stare straight up and she met Arla's soulless white eyes. Voices burst into her mind, drowning out her own thoughts and piercing through her skull like a white hot poker. She screamed, screamed until her throat was hoarse and she could do nothing more than croak out the odd whimper as she thrashed about on the table they had pinned her too. The Nia kept coming, touching her skin one by one and adding their voice to her head, and after they had touched her they retreated to a corner and collected a weapon of some sorts, a sword, a bow and arrows, an axe. As the last of the Nia touched her skin, Kaiyo fell unconscious and Arla stepped back, glancing around her fellow Nia before picking up her own bow and arrow and nodding once at Shyling. It was done. All they had to do now was ensure nobody tried to stop them, and together they headed for the village of the Aran's to make sure nobody would.


	13. Chapter 13: Dogs of War

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **Hey guys!  
I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has left reviews so far. I'm glad you're all enjoying it so much and for those enjoying the LizziexChris dynamic - I am too. I never intended to make this romance story but it just kind of shipped itself as I was writing and now I'm utterly in love with it XD. Also a huge thank you to**_ **TheMasterofFanfic555 _for asking how I'm doing! I'm a lot better now thanks and wish you live long and prosper too :D. There's not too much of the story left, I never intended it to be long but I hope what's left of it lives up to your expectations guys.  
Best wishes,  
JessBubble _**

* * *

Elizabeth was sitting looking thorough the medical supplies her father had sent her having already taken some of the rations to curb her hunger and make sure they were all well fed for when their parents finally came. She had to admit she was excited to get off of this planet, excited to see her father again. He'd sent down a PADD and she had reread the letter twice over now, still unsure how to take it. Chris had been waiting for her to come back out but so far she hadn't, and now feeling slightly worried amidst the excitement of going home he had to check on her. He found her bent over a PADD and frowning at it like she was confused.

"Everything okay Lizzie?" he asked casually, coming up to sit beside her on the bed.

"Dammit man don't call me Lizzie." She grumbled, but he could tell her heart wasn't in it this time around. Chris frowned and nudged her arm, raising an eyebrow when she glared up at him. She didn't know what made her do it, what made her trust him, but she pushed the PADD into his hands and let him read it. Chris scanned over the note, brows pinched together in concentration.

"Your dad's missing you." He observed, "And your mom sounds worried to." Elizabeth scoffed, surprising him.

"My mom ain't been around for years, she only cares 'cause we made the news back home." She sounded bitter and Chris could feel the hatred radiating from the girl. Placing the PADD to one side he waited patiently for her to talk to him, trying to find a way to broach the topic, but Elizabeth didn't need an invitation, just a willing ear. "Your dad ever tell you about Carol Marcus?" she asked, the name tasting like acid in her mouth. Chris nodded once but before he could say anything she ploughed on, "She had a one night stand with my dad and ended up with me. My dad's been the best daddy I could've asked for, he's always been there for me no matter what but she…she's a bitch." Chris watched her climb to her feet and begin pacing the room, surprised she was so willing to talk to him about this. "They tried to make it work for a while." She continued, "But it didn't last three years. Me and my dad ain't easy to live with if you didn't notice, hick, so she packed up and left. I ain't heard nothin' from my _mother_ since I was three, not a birthday card or Christmas card, nothin'. Why the hell's she suddenly carin' about me for?"

Chris stared at her solemnly. His own parents were pretty happy (too happy) sometimes and the PDA bugged him to no end, but they were so in love and they loved him so much it was impossible to imagine them never speaking to each other again - growing up without one of them was out of the question. Elizabeth was expecting some sort of answer and he didn't know what answer to give, so instead of saying something Chris offered her a hand.

"Come with me." He said. Elizabeth blinked in surprise, eyeing him suspiciously before slowly slipping her hand in his. Ignoring the eyes on them Chris lead her to the Aran tree, standing her in front of him facing the glowing white blossoms and keeping a loose grip on her shoulders.

"Chris what's with the nature walk?" she asked frustratedly. Chris rolled his eyes and shushed her.

"This is the Aran tree. When we first met Kelon he brought me to explain the history of his people, who they were and all that." He explained, "This tree holds all their thoughts and he said that the most enlightened sometimes got answers from their Gods. I'm not saying try get a reply, but just clear your head a little and try."

"Do I look enlightened to you?" she drawled.

A small grin twitched his lips upward,  
"Hey, if the dumb hick can manage it I'm sure you can." He chuckled. Elizabeth was unsure he was still sane but Chris wouldn't let her go until she tried. Dropping his hands down to her elbows he remained oddly quiet, having mastered the art of hearing them himself he found himself asking for a way to help his friends keep hope for these last few hours. Elizabeth tried to synch her breathing was his, steady and deep exhales that ruffled the hair on top of her head. She could feel them, the voices pushing at the edges of her mind and it terrified her, feeling too much like having the Nia in her head. She jerked back and hit Chris's chest. His hands slid down from her elbows to lace their fingers together, reassuringly squeezing her hands, "Easy Lizzie, trust me." He whispered, chin dropping onto her head.

Feeling entirely unsure and a little afraid she squirmed in his grip and muttered his name, but Chris simply hushed her and rolled his eyes beneath their lids. Elizabeth tried to find reassurance in his peaceful expression and closed her eyes again, shakily breathing out and flinching as the voices entered her mind. They weren't hostile like the voices of the Nia, no, they didn't have the same harsh tones as the Nia did. They were oddly beautiful, dancing over her mind with a feather light touch and taking her own thoughts up into the blossoms where they swirled and played with the others. Elizabeth felt at peace. Chris felt her relax back against his chest, a breathy sigh escaping her and he glanced down at her with a small smile to see the usual sour expression was lessened by the tranquillity she felt. Her grip on his hands tightened and she gasped slightly, turning to face him. Chris noted that, remarkably, she wasn't glaring at him for once. Well that had to be a good sign right?

"Why show me this?" she asked quietly, looking down at their interlocked fingers and not having the heart to unlink them. Chris scrutinised her face, oceanic blue eyes finally settling on her brown ones. _God she's gorgeous_ he thought.

"You needed something to clear your head. We need to focus Lizzie, all that stands between us and our home is an ion storm, it'll last a few hours max but we can't lose our heads before then. Whatever your mom has done, whoever she is to you, she isn't important, you are…I need my medical officer to trust me." He said quietly, eyes boring into her own with such an intense gaze she had to look away. Chris caught her chin and forced her to keep eye contact though, searching her chocolate brown gaze for any hint of doubt.

"I do." She whispered, caught up in the ocean of his impossibly blue eyes. _She's killing me_ he thought, mentally groaning as she blinked up at him. Swept up in the moment, the sounds of the Aran children playing and the excited yells of Max as he declared it wasn't fair he'd been tagged as 'it' were drowned away, and the Aran tree seemed to glow brighter the closer they got. His heart was pounding, palms feeling a little sweaty. He'd never been this nervous to kiss a girl before…and a no girl he'd ever try to kiss had panicked like she did and jerked away like that. "What the hell hick?" she growled, signature scowl back on her face. Chris simply blinked in shock as she turned on her heel, hand running through her hair and stormed away. Hands dropping to his sides he tried to calm his racing heart as Kelon walked in, watching Elizabeth with his icy blue eyes before he turned to Chris.

"I wish you better luck in the future." He chuckled. Chris ran his hands over his face and laughed once, mirthlessly. "Your Vulcan friend has revealed the place your parents will arrive on our planet." He informed him. Chris's head snapped towards him and he nodded once, motioning for him to continue. Kelon inclined his head respectfully, "The site of the crash from your torpedo is where they said they would land what they call, a shuttle."

Chris exhaled slowly,  
"Right." He breathed, "We need to be there then. Kelon…I can't begin to thank you enough for your hospitality." Chris began with a slight smile.

Kelon held up a hand,  
"We are not yet ready to say goodbye." He interrupted Chris with a shake of his head, "When you are safely returned to your people, then we may part. But you are still missing a friend." Chris drummed his fingers against his thighs tunelessly, nodding thoughtfully and ignoring the twinge of guilt deep in his chest.

"We'll get her back, but I won't ask you to put your people in danger like that again." He said.

"Then it is a good job that you are not asking, and I am offering our services to you." Kelon replied. Chris narrowed his eyes on the alien, fighting a grin.

"You've spent too much time around Fistrinn and Max." he chuckled. Kelon simply stared at the Aran tree, his hands clasped before him as he bowed his head slightly to show his respect.

"I believe they called it sarcasm." He agreed. Chris shook his head with a fond smile, his eyes tracing over the translucent body of their new friend and resting on the beating heart in his chest.

"Kelon…I appreciate all that you've done for us, but you didn't have to do it." He mused.

"I did not." He agreed, "But you were helpless and lost, afraid. We have taught you to read our land and in turn have created a friendship, something I hope will continue to grow. Unlike the Nia we do not wish to leave our home, but I confess that since your arrival, our desire to know more of what is beyond our stars has grown." Chris nodded in understanding, the pair walking out together to see Max dancing happily around a grumpy looking Elizabeth while a shy little Aran girl placed a crown of purple flower blossoms on her head. Elizabeth looked surprised and Chris begged her under his breath not to snap, but to his surprise she reset the crown on her head and gave the girl a hesitant smile. Chris watched in awe as Elizabeth sat beside the girl and began talking to her, showing her the notes in her hands and getting up to follow the girl around to a small vegetated patch just outside the village where the girl pointed out various flowers. Chris smiled slightly and looked at Kelon, noting with respect the way the man surveyed his village to stake stock of who was there.

"I think our people can be good friends." He agreed, "But it isn't up to me, I can put in a good word for you but I'm only a child where we're from…my dad would have more sway." Kelon nodded in understanding and motioned for him to join him in his hut.

"Then I would ask, if you were to put in this good word, that you would consider this."

Chris followed him and Elizabeth watched from a distance. Had he really been ready to kiss her? Had he really wanted to or was it spur of the moment? The little girl had picked some more flowers for her and Elizabeth forced another smile, god why did kids need so many smiles? It was exhausting!

"Let's go see what we can do with this, huh?" she suggested. The little girl clearly had no clue what she was saying but took her hand and skipped merrily beside her. Elizabeth tried not to cringe at the cold feeling of her skin, ignoring the way she could see her heart beating harder as she skipped along. Elizabeth had poured over the notes time and time again and had finally come to the conclusion that it was not one plant, but a mixture of vegetation that would have given the antidote. She didn't care for the Nia man after what they had done to her friend, but now it had become a challenge. Could she get it done before they had to go home? It would be a good gift to leave them with she thought, the antidote to a poison that would stop the Aran from dying. She had to admit she was uneasy around them still but preferred them to the Nia.

She stood in the hut they'd been given, a spare one that had belonged to a man the Nia had killed. The notes had been carved into large leaves and Elizabeth had them scattered all over the table. The PADD was useful for more than one thing and she mentally thanked her dad for thinking of it. She could input all of the plants properties from here and then run simulations of what each mixture would do. The little girl seemed fairly interested in the shiny new technology, poking at the screen as Elizabeth tried to keep her cool and undo the things the girl did to get it to work how she needed it to. As the simulation of the first mixture ran, Elizabeth listed down all the possible combinations she could think of and sighed as the simulation failed. This would be a long process she realised. She wondered briefly if she could trade this antidote from Kaiyo (if she could make it that is) but quickly realised the Nia wouldn't be happy with that after her violent escape. From what she'd heard the Nia weren't merciful and were desperate for a way off of this planet, when she had told Kelon what had happened with Kaiyo's eyes he had made them all drink a special herb mixture to close off their minds from infiltration by the Nia, claiming if Kaiyo had become a vessel then she was in serious trouble.

Elizabeth hadn't wanted to hear anymore, feeling sick to her stomach from the herbs and guilt she had left to return to her hut and look for something to occupy her mind with. Huffing Elizabeth crossed out the next combination and inputted another one. The little girl was twirling a piece of her hair around her finger and pointed up at Elizabeth's.

"Neekar?" she asked. Elizabeth frowned, too tired to understand as she took a strand of her hair and placed it by Elizabeth's. "Neekar?" she repeated. Elizabeth, not wanting to upset the kid simply nodded. To her surprise the little girl moved behind her and removed the flower crown, pulling her blonde hair back over her shoulders and playing with it. She tensed but didn't protest, hating to admit that it was actually kind of nice.

 **The U.S.S Enterprise**

Jim was waiting impatiently on the bridge with the rest of his crew, watching the ion storm rage in the atmosphere.

"It's decreased to level four. I estimate another two hours before we will be able to get a shuttle to the planet's surface." Spock declared. The crew seemed to give a simultaneous breath of relief until Bones spoke up,  
"The sun'll be up then, it'll be damn hot."

Jim frowned and nodded once,  
"Then we'll take lots of water." He decided, "If our kids can make it we can." Bones didn't want to say it but his biggest fear was that the kids hadn't. They'd been stuck there for two days roughly, and with the sun so hot in the day and the Gemini being a small vessel there was only so much water they could have access too, he didn't know if they'd had enough or if they were all delusional from heat stroke by now. Jim placed a hand on his shoulder, sensing his friend's distress and trying to appease the older man with his eyes.

"Keptin?" Pavel's anxious voice turned Jim's attention to his Russian friend, "What if they encountered life forms?"

Jim had thought the same thing and gave Pavel a reassuring smile,  
"They're loveable kids, they grew up hearing all our stories about first contact…they know what to do." He said confidently, but he couldn't quite bring himself to believe it either. New species were getting rarer as the years wore on and more of space was discovered, most species they left alone were too primitive and wouldn't take kindly to outsiders. Jim just hoped they'd found some form of intelligent life if they'd found any at all and not some mindless animal like creature that tried to kill them. Did they even have weapons? Jim shook the thoughts away, feeling his heart flutter as Spock frowned at the screens in front of him. "Mr Spock?" he called his friend attention to him and Spock shook his head slowly, his thin eyebrows pulled down in a frown.

"I have been continuously scanning the planet's surface and…I do not know if it is simply the ion storm interfering with our scanners but I'm reading bursts of heat signatures and many many lifeforms converging around one specific area." He informed him. A shiver ran down his spine – that didn't sound good.

"Change of plan, Mr Sulu, Mr McCoy, as soon as it's safe enough we're using the transporters to get down there, straight to that spot. Spock, I need you to keep the peace up here." Jim ordered, "Let us know as soon as it's safe to go."

 **Planet's surface**

It was absolute chaos. Chris rushed out of the hut after Kelon to find the screaming Aran scrambling about for their weapons and shelter. A small army of Nia were lining the entrance of the village, blocking their only exit and firing arrows that set fire to the wooden buildings. Kelon was shouting in his native tongue, ushering his people towards the Aran tree where Chris recognised Nagala an Gimitro protecting the entrance.

"You're trapping them in there Kelon!" Chris yelled, eyes beginning to water as the smoke grew thicker, "Lizzie! Fistrinn! Max! Anton!" His friends were by his side in seconds, Fistrinn and Max holding up a pale looking Anton with sooty cheeks, all of them coughing. Another hut went up in flames nearby as Fistrinn handed Chris a phaser, giving him sure nod.

"Miss McCoy swap places with me." He ordered. Elizabeth did so without question watching Chris fire a dazzling blue shot at the oncoming army.

"There is a passageway behind the Aran tree, my people will escape through it and head for the mountains. Follow them and save yourselves." Kelon said, drawing back an arrow and firing it straight through the skull of an advancing Nia.

"Kelon there aren't enough of you to hold them back." Chris said urgently, giving max a slight shove, "You three go, get out of here!" he ordered.

"What! What happened to stickin' together hick!" Elizabeth growled.

"Lizzie there's no time to argue, go!" he snapped, pushing her away from the chaos. Chris felt his heart clench at the dirty look she sent him and turned away to face Kelon again. Turning away may have saved his life however, as the arrow meant for his head ripped through the side of his shirt but not his skin, lodging itself into Anton's broken leg. Chris winced, the poor kid couldn't catch a break. "Kelon we have to block off the passageway to give your people more time!" Chris said, firing rapidly with Fistrinn.

"I have an idea." The Vulcan boy declared. Kelon sadly looked around his home before ordering his fighters to retreat. Chris gave him a sad shake of the head and grimaced, knowing there was no way to save the Aran's village as it burned around them. The Nia were banging sticks and axes on the ground and advancing closer as the Aran's retreated.

"Fistrinn what's the plan!" he called over the crash of collapsing wood. The smoke was thick and black, filling the cave and choking their lungs.

"Use the phasers to collapse the entrance." He replied with a stoic expression. Chris wished he could remove himself from the scene as he had, maybe then his heart wouldn't be pounding so hard and his hands would stop shaking. Adrenaline racing through his veins he nodded, tightening his grip on the phaser in his hand.

"Go, I'll cover you!" he promised. Fistrinn nodded once, switching his phasers settings and dashing into the cave to begin firing through the rock. "Keep firing Kelon!" Chris bellowed.

"I do not intend to stop!" the alien called back as he took down another three without blinking. Chris dropped to one knee to avoid an arrow and threw his arm up with a grunt, firing off four rapid shots to take down the nearest Nia. He hadn't spotted Kaiyo among them and didn't know if that was a good or bad thing, but knew their window of opportunity was closing on finding her far too fast. "Christopher!" Kelon bellowed, pushing the human boy to the floor. The air left Chris in a rush and he wheezed for a moment, winded. Kelon hauled him to his feet and he fired a shot at the Nia with the neon yellow hair aiming for him.

"Christopher run now!" Fistrinn called sharply, the first few rocks beginning to fall. Chris groaned and began pulling Kelon with him, more rocks beginning to fall faster and faster. His heart was pounding, adrenaline giving him a burst of speed as he lunged for the entrance of the cave and yanked Kelon with him with strength he didn't know he had. For a moment there was nothing but their heavy panting filling the silence, the muffled cries of the angry Nia outside barely coming through as the dust settled and the last few rocks tumbled into place. Chris realised in shock that the crying was all in his head, and the Aran tree dulled it to nothing.

"The plan worked well." Kelon observed, slowly sitting up. Chris propped himself up on his elbows and nodded slowly, still struggling to catch his breath,  
"Yeah…nice job, Fistrinn." He grinned up at the Vulcan boy who pulled him to his feet. "Did Lizzie and the others-"

"They are gone with the rest of the Aran's." Fistrinn assured him, and Chris felt an immense surge of relief at knowing they were safe. "A place we must quickly go now too." Fistrinn added. Kelon looked at the Aran tree, and for the first time Chris noticed Nagala and Gimitro had stayed behind to wait for their leader.

"For thousands of years our people have resided here, under the watch of the Aran tree we have flourished and survived…we shall return here one day." Kelon vowed. Chris placed a hand on his shoulder, long since past the initial shock of cold that radiated from Aran skin.

"I'm sorry." He said sincerely. Kelon simply shook his head, clasping Chris's shoulder in return and levelling his icy blue gaze on him.

"I do not blame you." He assured the teen. Chris was being consumed by his guilt. If he hadn't have gone for Kaiyo and Lizzie then the Nia wouldn't have attacked the Aran's village for revenge. Their whole village had seemed to turn up for the fight though. Kelon, Nagala and Gimitro lead the way while Fistrinn and Chris hung behind.

"Don't you think it's odd that so many Nia turned up?" he asked his Vulcan friend. Fistrinn inclined his head contemplatively.

"It does indeed seem strange." He agreed, "Why would so many appear unless it is simply a distraction?" Chris frowned, pondering his words. What if the Nia were planning something bigger? What if they needed the tree and they were leaving it unprotected? The thoughts were dizzying and Chris wondered what his dad would do. _He wouldn't have started an inter-species war for one_ he thought miserably. At the top of the winding passageway Chris spotted a backpack, its contents being water and food. "Miss McCoy can be thoughtful." Fistrinn noted. Chris smirked.

"Is that you admitting she's grown on you?" he teased. Fistrinn shot him an unimpressed look while Chris tossed him an energy bar. Lizzie made it out okay, this was her real message, and Chris was glad. They trekked for what felt like hours through the heat using most of their water on Kelon, Nagala and Gimitro, who did not deal well with the heat after living underground so long. The Nia had attacked at daybreak and as such the sun was punishing for the entire journey, which in reality had only taken an hour. A short climb up a mountain track lead them to a large cave that went back for miles, but the Aran had made a new camp fairly near to the front.

"It is used as a hunting camp when food is scarce in winter and we have to travel further." Kelon said by way of explanation as he walked in and settled his people, speaking quickly in his native tongue to calm them and boost morale. Elizabeth had set up a small medical corner it appeared, the contents of her medical supplies strewn across a rag on the floor. She'd gained a little helper too who was crushing up flowers in what Chris recognised from history books to be a pestle and mortar. Stepping closer he realised her hair had been intricately braided down both sides of her head and down her back, small blue flowers had been woven into the braid and she still wore the crown of purple blossoms despite hurrying around looking slightly frazzled and frustrated.

"Camiko?" The little girl asked, holding out the bowl. Elizabeth had a quick look before motioning to mash it up more and the little girl was back at it with renewed rigor.

"Lizzie, how is everyone?" Chris asked concernedly, spotting Anton lying in the corner and Max sitting nearby, looking pale and worried.

"Not good, lots of Aran with heat stroke but I've solved that, they just need to sleep it off, a few got some broken bones trippin' up in that damn passage and I still got a few more need some splints but Chris…Anton…he got hit." She rattled off one piece of information after the other and Chris's head spun as he struggled to catch up.

"Hit? How bad?" he questioned. Chris didn't like the way she grimaced and absent mindedly smoothed the crease out of her brow with his thumb, feeling the sticky sweat drying there.

"Chris that arrow was poisoned with whatever that Nia guy they had me tryna cure was poisoned with, their bloodwork matches…I'm still trying to work on an antidote." She admitted, looking harassed. Fistrinn left them alone as Chris inhaled sharply, head swimming.

"Are you telling me he's dying?" he questioned. Elizabeth could only nod. Chris ran a hand through his hair, gripping it at the roots and pulling slightly as his heart fluttered anxiously. "How far are you on that antidote?" he asked finally. Elizabeth sighed, looking resigned.

"Not as far as I need to be. Chris…with our physiology and his already battered condition, he ain't got long…hours at the most." She confessed.

"Camiko?" the little girl interrupted again and Elizabeth glanced down and nodded once.

"Taghum." She replied, rubbing her hand over her arm and pointing at the Aran nearby that had a large welt growing on her upper arm. The little girl wondered off to apply the poultice and Chris watched, heart constricting as he looked around the refugee camp. "I'm on the last few combinations of plants I can try, I'll let you know if I have somethin', but you should be with him right now." Elizabeth said firmly, turning back to her work and setting her PADD going again. Kelon was checking on people now a group at a time as Chris moved over to Anton. The Russian teen was sweating and his breath smelled foul, his hands were cold and clammy as Chris took hold of one and squeezed lightly. Anton blinked up at him through unfocused eyes, not willing to admit he was actually seeing four of Chris and the noises in the cave sounded too echo like for his ears to make much sense of them. His veins were turning black as the poison seeped through his blood and Chris grimaced.

"Hey Anton, Lizzie's whipping up a cure right now alright? You hang in there for us." He ordered, voice stern, "We gotta get you home or your dad'll kill us."

"Chris he canny hear you." Max said sadly, "I've been tryin' since we got 'ere." Chris fell back on his hunches and swallowed thickly, feeling a pit of despair open up in his gut and begin to suck his energy in like a black hole. One look at Max though and he knew he needed to put a plug in it, he was a leader now, he had to remain strong.

"We aren't going home without Anton or Kaiyo." He said finally, eyes steely and voice firm, "Fistrinn you remember the way to the Nia village?" Fistrinn nodded cautiously,  
"Christopher it would not be wise to-"

"I don't care what's wise right now!" he snapped, feeling a little powerless, "I care what's right, and it's not right to leave Kaiyo out there! We can't do anything for Anton but we can help her and it makes sense to go now while the Nia aren't there." Fistrinn blinked at him, brown eyes hard and jaw clenching as he fought the urge to rebel, he had promised teamwork after all.

"I shall collect a backpack." Fistrinn said, turning and heading for Elizabeth who was still working hard to splint up the last few broken bones among the Aran people.

"Christopher we cannot venture into the heat, if you go you go alone." Kelon warned him.

"I know, stay with your people Kelon." He insisted, clapping his shoulder, "We got this." Elizabeth had handed Fistrinn what she could spare (which unfortunately wasn't much) and then heard her PADD bleep. Her hand slammed down on the rock wall, scraping and stinging as she keyed in the second to last combination and set the simulation to run. Turning her head she watched Chris and Fistrinn leave, the taller Vulcan dwarfing the human boy by the time they reached the mouth of the cave but Chris turned back to send her one last look. He waved and turned back to carry on walking, broad shoulders disappearing as Elizabeth's gut clenched.

"Can I help yer lassie?"Max asked tentatively. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at him, pushing down her worries and anxieties to keep her mind clear as she had been taught to do. Sharp eyes glancing around she inhaled the sweet air deeply, catching the smell of sweat on them and wrinkling her nose.

"Well I've done most the hard work but here, you see any burns you rub this on them…try not to need me while I have a quick wash." She huffed, heading for the corner of the cave to wash some of the sweat off of her. Not really caring about who was watching she scrubbed the back of her neck and back, splashing her face and running the cool water over her arms and legs before hiding behind her clothes to change into something fresh. Changing into her white knee length shorts and a lemon yellow tank top she pulled her tatty old converse back on and thanked god for bringing them in that backpack of clothes Kaiyo had packed. Kaiyo. Her stomach twisted, where was she? Max was still working on a particularly reluctant little Aran child and Elizabeth checked her PADD again finding the simulation was in its final stages. With nothing else to do and most of the medical crises handled, she went to check on Anton, finding the black seeping further through his veins at an alarming rate. Clenching her jaw she checked his pulse next, finding it beating harder and faster than normal. His pupils were dilated and his breathing slightly shaky too.

"I'm workin' as fast as I can." She whispered, touching his clammy forehead briefly before looking up to find Kelon standing above her. Elizabeth rose to her full height and watched him through her signature scowl, arms folded over her chest as Kelon placed his hand on her shoulder. She was proud of herself for resisting the urge to flinch.

"I want to thank you for helping my people." He said, sincerity ringing in his voice.

Elizabeth shrugged,  
"I'm a doctor, it's what I do." She grunted in reply, shrugging him off and heading for the PADD.

"Yes, but you need not have done it, yet you did." Kelon said patiently, "And for that I thank you." Elizabeth was no longer listening however, staring at the results in her hand disbelievingly. Of course, it had to be one of the last goddamn ones she tried, didn't it? **_Simulation successful_**. She almost fell to her knees with relief but remained firm, eyes tracking over the combination of plants before looking up their names again on the leaves of notes.

"Thank me by telling me where to find these." She said, looking determinedly at Kelon. He frowned slightly as he looked over the list,  
"They are in the same area of jungle roughly, but it is too hot at this time of day to consider-"

"If I don't go know Anton may not make it through the day goddamit!" she interrupted him harshly and Kelon blinked at her, the only sign he was annoyed with her interruption being the way he shifted his weight.

"Then Nagala will take you." He said reluctantly. Elizabeth nodded quickly and grabbed a water bottle, filling it with the water in the corner of the cave and taking the last one from the backpack to stuff in a small animal skin bag the little girl had given her. Nagala looked unhappy to say the least but wouldn't disobey his leader, motioning for Elizabeth to follow him as she stuffed an empty glass vial and an empty hypospray into the bag with the pestle and mortar. She marched to the mouth of the cave and glared out over the canopy of blue trees, praying she'd make it back in time to do Anton some good…if this antidote even worked that is.


	14. Chapter 14: Homecoming

Chris crouched low in the bushes, seeing three of those damn Nia still in the village. Fistrinn was not too far away behind the trunk of a tree, waiting for his signal. Chris held up three fingers, slowly counting down before giving him a nod. The teens sprung out from their hiding places and took down the Nia easily, the pale green people collapsing as the energy of their weapons hit them. Chris moved quickly out of the trees, calling Kaiyo's name as he went while Fistrinn stoically called for Miss Sulu to make herself known. Chris rolled his eyes as they headed futhur into the village, phasers at the ready and fingers on the triggers. His heart was pounding wildly and his stomach was twisting itself into knots the longer they went without a reply.

"Kaiyo! Come on our parents are nearly here, it's time to go home!" Chris called out, narrowed eyes scrutinising the village for the slightest sign of movement. He was sweating again under the cruel heat of the sun, feeling it's rays beating down on his skin mercilessly. Fistrinn stood, stopping still as a statue beside him. Chris followed his line of sight to see Kaiyo leaning against the doorway, wearing nothing but some sort of animal skin dress that flapped around her thigs in the breeze. Her head was touching her chest and she appeared to be panting slightly as Chris slowly approached her. "Kaiyo?" he asked tentatively, phaser trained on her and stomach flip-flopping. Something wasn't right, his gut was telling him so.

"C-C-Chris?" she whispered, voice smoother than he recalled. Fistrinn kept a tight grip on his phaser as they stopped three feet from her. Chris took a deep breath in, finger tensing on the trigger.

"It's me Kaiyo, you're safe…look at me." He instructed gently. Slowly her head lifted, tangled black hair falling in front of her face slightly as startlingly white eyes stared back at him.

"Chris what's h-happening to me?" she whimpered, clutching her head as she fell to her knees with a cry of pain. A serene smile slowly inched its way up her face and Chris fell back, cursing under his breath and feeling a shiver run down his spine. He could feel voices probing at the edges of his mind. "Christopher Kirk, Fistrinn, your friend is no more." She hissed. Chris fired without thinking twice. Fistrinn stepped forward and pulled her up in a fireman's lift, settling her on his shoulders.

"Perhaps Kelon can help her?" he suggested. Chris grimaced and glanced at the sky, shielding his eyes from the sun.

"I hope so, preferably before her dad comes to get her." He hinted as they headed back through the village, shooting the Nia there once more for good measure.

"Preferably with more clothes." Fistrinn added, shifting his hands from the backs of her thighs with an uncomfortable expression. Chris simply smirked at him,  
"Fistrinn my man, when we get home, I'm making myself your wingman."

"A wingman? But I do not fly." Fistrinn sounded confused and Chris sighed,  
"That's exactly why you need one buddy."

 **The U.S.S Enterprise**

"Jim, the ion storm has cleared, it's safe to beam you down." Spock declared.

"Finally." Jim breathed, "Come on Bones, Mr Sulu, let's get going." Jim almost groaned as Spock followed them into the turbolift, "Spock I told you-"

"I am not arguing." Spock cut him off, "I simply ask you to give this to my son when you see him." Spock held out a necklace, black string with a strange purple gemstone in the middle. Jim didn't question him, simply nodded and gave him a reassuring grin.

"We'll be back before you know it." He promised. Hikaru Sulu exhaled slowly and Bones clenched and unclenched his fists, the tension visible in his shoulders.

"I hate transporters Jim." He grumbled.

Jim nodded,  
"I know." He chuckled, "But it's the quickest way we can get down there today." Pavel met them in the transporter bay, handing them each a small black disc and two communicators.

"Give them a locator chip each so I can pick them up on ze computer." He instructed. Jim nodded once, grabbed a phaser and watched Hikaru holster his trusty katana at his side. Jim remembered when he had first seen the man use it on the Romulan drilling platform back when they had first become a crew, and once again found himself awed by the power radiating from Hikaru when he held it. Standing on the transporter pads Jim gave Pavel a nod, a silent promise that he would get his son back for him.

"Beam us down." He ordered.

"You will end up right outside where the mass of life signs are, good luck." Pavel informed him, fingers agilely flying over buttons as bright light encircled them and tore apart their molecules, ejecting them into space and through the atmosphere onto the planet below.

 **The Planet Surface**

Fistrinn huffed and pushed Kaiyo further up his shoulder again, sweat dotting his brow as Chris helped him up a particularly rocky part of the mountain track.

"Come on Fistrinn we're nearly there, you can do this." He said encouragingly. The Vulcan panted slightly and glared at him, something that surprised Chris to no end.

"You try hauling the deadweight of an unconscious woman up a rocky hill." He retorted. Chris smirked.

"I never knew you had it in you." He chuckled.

"She's waking up!" Fistrinn warned, feeling her fingers twitch against his back. Chris shot her again with the phaser and grimaced, feeling guilty.

"She's gonna have one hell of a headache." He mumbled. Fistrinn simply grunted in agreement as she redistributed her weight again, now holding her bridal style.

"And I will have back ache." He grumbled. Chris raised an eyebrow and Fistrinn sighed, a look in his eyes that Chris understood. Longing.

"The heat has, as my mother would say, boiled my blood." He confessed. Chris held the water bottle to his lips and he took a long drag on the cool liquid as they continued upwards, the mouth of the cave where they had made their new base coming into view. They could hear the buzz of chatter inside as Aran's spoke quickly to each other, and could hear Max telling a story in his typically animated way of how Anton had gotten attacked by a plant,  
"And then the vines were all movin' and caught his ankle and hauled him up in the air and it must have had like, these little sucker things like an octopus because when we shot it dead he had those sucker marks on his leg! It was freaky! Like that old movie, er, what was it called?"

Chris groaned,  
"Day of the Triffids, and Max for the love of god that story got old after you told it the first time." He complained, turning to help Fistrinn by taking Kaiyo and giving him a break as he climbed up into the mouth of the cave, "Where's Lizzie?" he called over his shoulder as Fistrinn's eyes grew wide. Chris frowned and turned to see what was the matter, nearly dropping Kaiyo in shock when he saw his father in the gold shirt he had long since outgrown. Mr Sulu stood on his left, Mr McCoy on the right looking as grumpy as his daughter always was. Chris felt a lump rise in his throat as he saw the tears spring to his dad's eyes.

"Well." Jim said, clearing his throat and trying to fight off the weakness in his knees that threatened to send him to the floor, "You seem to have had fun son." Chris took a shaky step before becoming more confident, striding forward to place Kaiyo beside Anton,  
"Not as much as you'd think, I'll explain later I swear but where the hell is-"

"Elizabeth left not long after you too acquire plants she believes will create an antidote for Anton's condition." Kelon's soothing voice made Bones jump and curse under his breath. Chris groaned slightly, using his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face as Mr Sulu knelt by his daughter, hands fluttering uselessly over her unconscious body.

"That damn woman!" he complained, "Look I think Kaiyo's still possessed Kelon, her eyes were all white and she had this really creepy smile." Kelon knelt beside her and pried back her eyelids, nodding once.

"You would be correct." He agreed, "But the only thing that will save her now is the Aran tree." He looked up at Chris who cursed and ran a hand through his hair, the sticky feeling making him grimace as his hair stood up at odd angles.

"But there's no telling how many Nia are still there or if they broke through the blockage." He realised, "Fistrinn, got any options for us?" Jim stood and stared in awe at his son, standing tall with his shoulders pulled back and taking charge as he had dreamed of doing since he was a little boy. Neither of the adults had been able to get a word in edge ways once they'd set Max off, but found themselves feeling helpless in the authoritative presence that was Chris Kirk. Jim knew what he was doing, ignoring their existence to keep a level head and make a smart choice. He didn't blame him for it but he wished that his son would need him a little bit more, it only hammered home the fact his first born was all grown up. Fistrinn tipped his head slightly in thought and Bones finally spoke up, a sour glare on his face and almost threatening tone to his voice.

"How's about you come up with an option that gets my daughter back?" he suggested. Chris glanced at him, blue eyes fierce and passionate.

"Mr McCoy Lizzie will make it back here, I swear to you but Kaiyo's condition is worse right now." He argued.

"Er, actually, I think Anton's is." Max piped up, nodding at the boy as he convulsed on the floor, grunting in pain. Chris cursed aloud and Jim couldn't help but chastise him as Bones hurried to the young boy's side.

"Jim he needs medical now." He insisted. Chris felt his heart pounding as his father tossed him a small black disc and ordered the Enterprise to beam up the two of them. Anton was gone in a beam of white light as Mr Sulu stepped up, looking pale and grave as Kelon placed his fingers on his daughter's temples.

"What happened to my daughter?" he demanded to know.

Chris grimaced,  
"I would love to explain, really I would but now isn't the time, it would take too long and we don't have that kind of time on our side. Kelon where did Lizzie go?"

"I sent Nagala with her to show her the way. Christopher the longer Kaiyo remains this way the more of her mind she will lose." He said.

"Lose?" Chris demanded, looking a little frazzled before he took a deep breath and asked him to explain.

"Kaiyo is acting as a vessel for the Nia, their entire species has been crammed into her mind and it is incapable of holding it. Slowly, they will take over until Kaiyo no longer exists as you knew her." Kelon explained. Chris nodded slowly, brows furrowing as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Right, that's excellent, Fistrinn do you have any good news for me?" he asked frustratedly.

"I believe so." He agreed, "Their primitive tools mean the Nia will most likely not have entered the cave of the Aran tree just yet, if we were too ambush them from the other side we could draw their attention away from the tree long enough for Kelon to do what he must to Kaiyo's mind." He suggested. Jim placed a hand on Chris's arm, meeting the identical blue eyes of his son, seeing the tension within them.

"Son, we're here, you don't have to do this alone anymore." He assured him, "We'll follow your lead." Chris felt the weight lift from his shoulders slightly. His father had confidence in them, in _him_. Chris nodded once, drawing himself up to his fullest height and looking at Kelon with a fierce expression.

"Can you get back to the village in this heat?" he asked.

"Or die trying." Kelon replied.

Chris grimaced,  
"It won't come to that, have faith." He insisted, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Get your best men together and leave the rest of your people here, we attack from the other side and Fistrinn will escort you and Mr Sulu back to the tree, do whatever it takes to bring Kaiyo back Kelon, please."

"And what do you plan to be doing?" Fistrinn butted in, raising an eyebrow.

"Find Lizzie, Anton needs her sooner rather than later." he replied evenly, "Dad I need you to go with Kelon, phasers are really effective against the Nia and you're a better shot than me."

"Like hell I'm leaving you after-"

"Dad please! You said you'd follow my lead." He pleaded. Jim suddenly wanted to retract those words but Sulu tugged on his arm, his daughter cradled against his chest.

"Georgie…"Jim trailed off. Chris gave him half a smile and placed a hand on his arm.

"I know." He said. _I love you too_ hung unspoken in the air between them, and Jim pulled his son into a fierce hug before pressing two black discs and a communicator into his palm.

"So the transporter can lock onto you. As soon as you find her get back to the ship or so help me god Christopher George Kirk I'll make you wish you were never born." He promised. Chris nodded once in understanding and turned to the little girl tugging on his hands, holding the leaf that Elizabeth had been reading.

"You know the way?" he asked her as Jim cast him one last glance before leaving the cave, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Lizzie." She said in reply, tugging him towards the mouth of the cave. Jim couldn't quite understand why he'd left him like that, wanting nothing more than to be with his son, but Chris seemed to know what he was doing and trusted his son's judgement, they would have plenty of time together later. Hikaru was whispering to his daughter in Japanese and though Jim couldn't understand it he could tell they were words of comfort, reassuring whispers that she would be okay. It seemed to take forever in this heat and Jim was sweating buckets by the time they reached an overgrown crack in the ground, leading down in a spiral. The other translucent people, people that this Kelon man had called the Aran had headed another way, and Kelon made them all pause in the dark as Fistrinn kept quiet watch over all that happened. Jim found the parallels between him and his father kind of scary but didn't comment, simply pulled the necklace out of his pocket and tapped the Vulcan boy on the shoulder.

"From your dad." He said simply. He'd never seen a Vulcan look so emotional as Fistrinn slowly took the necklace and clasped the gem tightly.

"It belonged to my grandmother." He said quietly. Jim placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Whatever you feel you must ignore, Christopher has proven himself to be an adept leader and will prevail." He promised. Jim chuckled dryly, feeling pride puff out his chest. Kelon finally lead them down into the cave and Jim stared in wonder at the glowing white blossoms of the tree. It was an imposing thing and they were caved in by rock, a small gap near the top showing an amber light and filtering in the smell of smoke. Fistrinn kept his gaze firmly locked on the gap and his phaser aimed at it while Jim covered the side entrance they'd come through. His mind wandered to his son again. He could remember when he was born still, those big blue eyes blinking up at him promising him a lifetime of mischief and trouble. He'd fit in the palm of his hand and Jim had never felt more alive.

Now he was a grown man with muscles and a phaser and a rank. Leader. He had led these kids and had made an impact apparently while doing so, befriending an entirely new species to the point where they were trusting and loyal of each other… He had led these kids successfully enough that none of them were dead, even if they were beaten up and not looking to good. Jim hoped briefly that Pavel hadn't seen his son but knew he most likely had when beaming up Bones earlier. Kelon had lay Kaiyo down on the ground and Jim glanced over his shoulder to see Sulu pacing the floor worriedly.

"This will not appease you sir, but do not stop me for your daughter's sake." Kelon said soothingly. Hikaru nodded once as Kelon began humming under his breath, almost like he was meditating. The blossoms on the tree began to glow brighter as Kaiyo bucked, back arching off of the floor and mouth opening, a terrible screech sending Hikaru to his knees as Kelon tried to cleanse her mind. Fistrinn didn't even flinch and Jim wished he could blot out the agony in her voice as well as the Vulcan boy did. Kaiyo didn't stop screaming either, drowning out all the sounds of the battle raging next door as Jim switched places with Fistrinn, climbing up carefully on the rocks to reach through the gap and fire off a few shots, trying to help and keep his mind occupied. His narrowed eyes picked out the translucent Aran easily compared the ape like Nia. He took down as many as he could, seeing the Aran darting through the smouldering ruins of what he guessed had once been a village. It seemed to last an eternity, Hikaru's own pained cries of his daughter's name joining her screams of agony until they faded to low whimpers, leaving Jim's ears ringing and the sounds of the battle outside growing more intense as the Aran advanced on the few remaining Nia. The tribal catcalls of the Aran let Fistrinn know they had been successful.

"That's the last of them, I thought there would be more." He confessed. Kelon removed his hands from Kaiyo's head as if on cue and Hikaru reached for his daughter.

"It is done, your daughter has been purged, however I would like to check in a few hours to ensure she is completely free of the Nia." Kelon requested politely, looking unfazed by all her screaming. Jim was reluctant since he didn't know the alien but knew his son trusted him, so slowly nodded his head.

"You can return with us to our ship to check her over." He agreed, "Ready to go home?" he asked Fistrinn, who's eyes glistened with relief in response. Once they were back on the surface under the blistering son he handed Fistrinn and Kelon a small black locator each, Kaiyo wouldn't need hers given that her unconscious body was being cradled by her father, who had wiped away his tears but bore all the signs of a distraught and traumatised parent. "Enterprise, five to beam up." He ordered, closing his eyes against the bright white lights. Pavel was gone from his post when they got back onto the ship, a red shirt sitting in his place. Jim didn't blame the poor man and nodded at the man to assure him Kelon was a friend. "Where's my son?" he asked, expecting him to have waited.

"I'm sorry sir, he hasn't returned yet." The man said. Jim watched Fistrinn guide Kelon to medical after Hikaru and his daughter before reaching for his communicator,  
"Georgie? Christopher do you read me?"

Chris swung the little girl over a fallen tree trunk, clambering over himself before following her underneath a large leafed plant into a sort of field. Elizabeth knelt in the middle, packing up her things.

"Lizzie!" he called her name and she jumped violently, bag slipping from her hand.

"Dammit man don't call me Lizzie!" she growled, glaring at him and slinging the bag over her shoulder, absent mindedly pulling the little girl into her side when she ran over to her. "What the hell are you doin' here!"

"They're here, our parents are here and they can transport us off this planet." He said quickly, seeing the shock in her eyes.

"We have to get these guys home first, it's too hot out here." She said finally. Chris nodded in understanding and Nagala stepped forward from under the shade of a tree, offering what was left in his water bottle to the little girl Chris had brought with him.

"Thank you." He said quietly. Chris watched Lizzie pull a hypospray from her pocket and shake it at him with an uncharacteristic grin. He'd been right all along. A scowl looked beautiful, but a smile like that? She blew him away.

"I did it! Usually it would have to go through human trials but Anton needs it sooner rather than later." She shrugged. Chris grinned back at her and picked her up by the waist, spinning her around as she cried out in shock.

"You genius!" he laughed, relief rushing through him. Lizzie blushed at him and Chris found it rather adorable as they began moving back through the jungle. It was only a fifteen minute walk, but the way back up to the cave was rocky and hard to traverse. Something bleeped in the pocket of his dirty jeans and Chris rummaged inside before pulling out a communicator and flipping it open.

"Georgie? Christopher do you read me?" his father sounded anxious and Chris sighed, a smile gracing his lips at the sound of his father's voice.

"Right here dad, I just found her." He said, pulling Lizzie up over the edge to the mouth of the cave. Something hit him hard from behind and Chris fell to the floor with a huff, Lizzie toppling down with him as Nagala let out a war cry and barrelled into the Nia that had tackled him.

"We are under attack!" he cried. Chris felt the colour drain from his face as Lizzie patted her pockets, her eyes wide and panicked.

"Chris the antidotes gone!" she yelled. Cursing under his breath he noticed the communicator on the floor, knowing they were rapidly running out of time.

"Hold off on that transport 'til I say!" he bellowed, snatching it up and leaving it open in his pocket before pulling his phaser from the waistband of his jeans. A group of Aran lay dead, scattered around the room, but there were relatively few Nia to dispatch of. Still, there were not enough warriors to fight off the group of ten. The Aran however were quite adept, and with the help of Chris's phaser the group dropped from ten to six, a more manageable number. "Lizzie where are-" Chris stopped mid-sentence, eyes widening as he watched her throw her elbow into the jaw of a much taller Nia and kick him hard enough that he went down. She snatched up the hypospray from the floor, hurriedly cleaning off the end on her shirt and scrambling for him. Chris looped an arm protectively around her waist as Nagala looked at them, his bow between himself and an axe wielding Nia. Chris shot him down and Nagala leapt to his feet, sending him a nod of appreciation.

"Go! Save your friend!" he insisted.

"Dad beam us up now!" he yelled, loud enough for the communicator to hear where he could still hear his dad demanding to know what was going on. Stomach in knots he felt the adrenaline pound through his veins, heart racing as a nearby Nia came, drew back the string on his bow. "Dad now!" he snapped into the communicator.

"Chris!" Lizzie warned as the Nia let the arrow fly.

"Dad!" Chris yelled, closing his eyes and turning to envelope Lizzie in his arms, pushing them both to the floor. The noise of arrows bouncing off of the rock and the screeches of the Nia faded away, leaving behind nothing but their own heavy panting. Chris opened his eyes and found Lizzie staring up at him in shock, chest heaving with every breath. He could feel her breath hitting his cheeks.

"Are we alive?" she whispered, brown eyes staring up into his own blue ones.

Chris slowly nodded,  
"Yeah…yeah we're alive." He breathed. She was still wearing the purple flower crown on her head and Chris's eyes traced every feature of her face, uncaring of his audience as he swooped in and pressed a firm kiss to her lips, swallowing her gasp and only pulling back when he desperately needed air. She stared up at him dumbfoundedly and he grinned languidly, "Not bad for a hick, huh?" he asked.

"I hate you." She grumbled.

Chris pulled her to her feet,  
"Keep telling yourself that." He chuckled breathlessly.

"Christopher." Jim Kirk's voice was hard and disapproving yet when he risked a glance up, Chris could see his father's eyes gleaming amusedly as Elizabeth blushed, "You should at least ask her dad first." Elizabeth groaned a little and Chris laughed. "Come on, you two need to be looked over in medical bay." Jim said, relief saturating his tone. Freezing they both stared at one another wide eyed.

"Medical bay!" they exclaimed in unison. Elizabeth took off without an explanation and Chris lunged for the panel to communicate with Doctor McCoy.

"Doctor McCoy! Lizzie's on her way with the antidote, give her access to Anton she can save him!" he explained rapidly before bolting out of the door after her. Jim groaned slightly, turning his eyes skyward.

"Why couldn't he inherit his mother's distaste for exercise?" he grumbled before running after him. Chris remained a few steps ahead due to the advantage of youth but they both burst into medical in time to see Lizzie clutching the edge of a biobed worriedly. Fistrinn and Max stood nearby, Pavel beside his son's head as Hikaru and Kaiyo sat together on another bed beside him, Kaiyo's tired and unfocused eyes riveted to Anton as Chris, breathing hard and looking stressed, moved beside Lizzie to take her hand. A sharp bleep ripped through the air and the McCoy's glanced at the panel above the bed, holding their breath. Simultaneously, they breathed a sigh and said,  
"He's stabalisin', it's lookin' good."

Max fist pumped the air and Chris laughed, relief shining in his eyes as Kaiyo collapsed in tears on her father's chest. Jim sighed as Pavel cried quietly, head buried in Anton's ribs. The atmosphere was suddenly so much lighter in the room that Chris felt dizzy as the rest of them slowly trickled in. Scotty stared at his son with tears in his eyes and Nyota covered her hand with her mouth at the sight of Fistrinn stood stoically among his friends. Natalie Kirk came to stand by her husband, watching her son with pride as he got the Vulcan to high five him with a grin and slung his arm around Lizzie's shoulders.

"We made it!" Max crowed, clapping their shoulders and sending them stumbling.

"Max!" they protested with tired smiles as their parents watched on, seeing the bonds of friendship they were forming grow stronger with each passing second.

"It didn't look good at first, we didn't have a clue what we were doing and we hit a few rough spots along the way." Chris said, and Jim watched proudly as the group fell silent and turned their gaze to him, all listening attentively, "We fought a couple of times, we got into trouble here and there but we're all here, together, and we're all alive. I don't know about you guys…but I'd say this was better than summer camp."

"Hell yeah!" Max boomed happily.

"Indeed, I am pleased to say I have taken part in this adventure." Fistrinn agreed. Elizabeth frowned slightly and Chris nudged her with a grin. Her brown eyes rolled but she nodded slowly.

"I guess it could've been worse." She reluctantly agreed.

"Miss McCoy is correct, there are many times that luck was on our side." Fistrinn concurred and Elizabeth jerked back in surprise, eyes glaring hostilely at him,  
"It _still_ creeps me out when you agree with me, ya pointy eared bastard!"


	15. Chapter 15: Rebuilds and Romance

The family reunions had taken place and Bones was convinced he'd be washing tears off of the medical bay floor for years to come, but they'd had to be debriefed after, so setting the computer to record Jim had begun asking them what Starfleet would need to know about the planet and their adventure. The kids were honest and Jim was proud to see his son had learned the hard lesson of humility he had had to learn far too late in life - give credit where it was due and take the blame when you needed but never try and do everything yourself. They'd been smart, resourceful, by the sounds of it their teamwork had been incredible too. Poor Kaiyo couldn't remember anything beyond escaping the Gemini and the guilt in Elizabeth's eyes was almost too intense for her father to bear, but Chris had firmly stated she wasn't too blame and the rest of the group had quickly backed him up. The account of what happened was precise, clear and gut wrenching for their parents to hear. They hadn't wanted their kids to face this kind of danger so early on. Kelon had checked on Kaiyo three hours later, patiently waiting his turn and occasionally speaking to help Chris explain the parts he struggled with, and when he declared Kaiyo completely free of Nia influence Chris was quick to add in that since they had had a hand in destroying their village it was only fair they helped them rebuild. Fistrinn had quickly backed him up by rattling off some Starfleet regulations and Jim had had to concede, on record, that that was what they'd do.

"They're as insufferable as we were." He'd muttered to Spock, who simply shrugged and watched his son with pride. The children were all asleep now, their parents having retired to their quarters too to get some rest too, finally able to get a good night's sleep now they knew their kids were safe. All but two of them remained safe and sound in their beds, one following the other silently with the intent of getting him back into his bed before her father found out they were gone and murdered them both. Chris inhaled and exhaled deeply, releasing the tension of the past few days with a whoosh of air and a roll of his shoulders. His muscles were sore, he was tired, slightly hungry too even after the good meal they'd had before bed. Still he couldn't sleep. Fistrinn had made a damn good list of his faults during their fight and they'd been keeping him up ever since. His eyes roamed the stars, drawing patterns between the silver specks and imagining his own ship flying among them. Could he really be a captain? He'd gotten them out alive sure but as Fistrinn kindly pointed out they had quite a few scrapes…well Anton did. Maybe it was just Anton then? The kid was a bit of a klutz. Maybe he could blame it on beginner's luck? Wait that only worked the opposite way around, it was for good luck, not bad-

"What's got your shoulders all hunched up like that hick?" the familiar southern drawl came from a person he had thought was fast asleep.

"Why aren't you – actually never mind." He shook his head, knowing she'd simply fire his own question back at him if he asked why she wasn't in bed. "I thought you were asleep." He settled on that and risked a glance her way, drawing in a sharp breath at the sight of her in her pyjamas. Bones had insisted on bringing them with him because they were her favourite and he knew she'd want them, those rubber duck shorts barely covering mile long legs.

"Heard you get up and followed ya, so make my trip worth it and tell me what's eatin' at your tiny hick mind." She retorted, and Chris was shocked to see no glare on her face now, just a frown, a frown of concern. Chris exhaled again and focused back on the stars, noting how she shifted uncomfortably beside him.

"I messed up." He said quietly, "A few times actually." She gave him an unamused 'so what' look, and he knew she didn't understand. Elizabeth grew more and more angry with him while Chris continued to degrade himself and beat himself up for everything he'd done, regurgitating the list of mistakes Fistrinn had compiled and crossing off all the things on the list that made a great captain that he didn't possess or do.

"But Chris-"

"Anton suffered so much and that's on me! A captain is supposed to protect his crew and I made Anton walk on a broken leg and then got him poisoned! I might as well have been the one hurting him Lizzie, maybe I should just give up and-"

"Christopher Kirk would you shut your goddamn trap a minute?" she demanded exasperatedly. Chris finally looked down at her and she could see the pain in his eyes. The two teens suddenly embraced, a mess of limbs tangling together in an effort to get as much contact comfort as they could. Bones's eyebrows rose when he watched his daughter hesitantly begin stroking the boy's hair, holding him tight. The minute he had found them missing he had contacted Jim who had suggested they check here first - of course he knew his son well enough to be right. "You ain't gonna do that." She said quietly, her voice ringing in the silent and dimly lit room. Chris didn't move, simply inhaled the scent of fresh soap and shampoo from the crook of her neck, letting her hand play through his dirty blonde locks, relaxing him, lulling him into a more peaceful state of mind. "You ain't givin' up on your dream Chris. Everyone makes mistakes, I made some too…and don't you go tellin' me again that what happened to Kaiyo ain't my fault! I feel like it is and I gotta live with that just like you gotta live with Anton's sufferin', but that don't mean everyone else feels the same way, and just like you keep tellin' me I'm not to blame I'll remind you every damn day that you were brilliant Chris Kirk. You were born to be a captain, but even the great ones gotta start somewhere."

Chris was touched by her speech and visibly crumbled into this girl's embrace. Elizabeth was forcing herself to be gentle, forcing herself to be open to the horribly foreign feelings fluttering around in her heart because with Chris she felt…warm, wanted. As cold and aloof as she appeared to be that was all she had ever really wanted to be, she simply wanted to be wanted. Chris pulled back to look her square in the eye, eyes tracing every feature of her face in an attempt to brand them into his memory. If this was the last time they were ever this close he wanted to remember exactly the way she looked at him, but something else caught his eye and surprised him more than the emotional speech she'd given.

"You're smiling, Miss McCoy." He said, a tired smile playing on his lips, "I told you I'd make you smile." She rolled her eyes and did something she'd only ever done in front of her father - Elizabeth McCoy actually laughed. Chris looked taken aback before a slow smile crept up onto his lips. "My god, she laughs too!" he cried dramatically, "Are you really my Lizzie or is there some Nia in you?" he asked teasingly, poking at her sides playfully. She drew back then, suddenly looking serious. He wondered if the physical contact was a step too far.

"I wasn't aware I was _your_ Lizzie." She retorted. Chris ducked his head a little and had the grace to look embarrassed.

"And here's the awkward part." He chuckled nervously, "Lizzie about that kiss…"

"I didn't mind." She blurted, cheeks heating up as she looked away towards the stars, then grimaced and looked back towards the door instead. Damn stars were too close. Chris blinked in shock, heart pounding in his chest as he hesitantly reached for her hand, clasping it in his own tightly. He could feel her sweaty palms and guessed she was nervous, hell, he was too.

"So…you wouldn't mind if I did it again?" he asked quietly, oceanic blue eyes staring down into hers with an emotion so intense she couldn't quite describe it. Elizabeth opened her mouth to protest, to stay something, anything…no sound came out. Chris carefully used his free hand to cup her cheek, leaning in slowly to give her time to form some sort of protest. Elizabeth couldn't make any, because beyond her own confusing feelings she realised that deep down, she wanted it to happen. She drew back sharply when his lips touched hers, the split second of contact shocking her and kicking her flight or fight into gear. Chris looked rejected but quickly covered it up, dropping his hands and apologising quietly.

"I…I don't know how to feel." She mumbled. Chris arched an eyebrow at her but Elizabeth shook her head, "I don't know how to tell you what I'm feelin' either, hick." She sounded almost frustrated with herself and Chris gently clasped her shoulders, looking her over with scrutinising eyes before a small grin tugged at his lips.

"I get it…well Miss McCoy I can wait." He declared, "I can wait."

"You'll be waitin' a while ya arrogant little bastard." She grumbled, shaking her head and crossing her arms defensively over her chest.

Chris chuckled,  
"You can stop doing that you know. I've ignored every attempt to rebuff me since the moment we met, why break the habit now?" The question hung in the air between them before Elizabeth suddenly grabbed his ear and dragged him from the room. Chris winced and groaned, protesting as she dragged him along before they entered medical bay and he became silent. Bones McCoy was standing with his arms crossed and his foot tapping impatiently, having escaped the observation deck to reach medical before they could and not give the impression he was spying. The glare on his face was identical to his daughters signature sour expression. Tapping his wrist he raised an eyebrow, his stare penetrating through Chris and making him shudder.

"You're gettin' slower babygirl." He chastised her gruffly, the relief in his brown eyes clear. Elizabeth simply rolled her eyes,  
"Ten points knocked off for a stubborn patient." She insisted.

A smirk twitched his lips up as Chris scrambled for his bed and obediently lay down, not wanting to incur any more McCoy wrath as Bones kissed her forehead affectionately.

"Only five now you're over sixteen." He reminded her.

"Wait you make a game out of-"

"Sleep!" Elizabeth and Bones both rounded on him at the same time with identical glares and Chris quickly closed his eyes. The McCoy's slapped a quiet high five before Bones tucked his daughter in again and said a quiet goodnight.

 **Planet Surface:**

Chris wiped the sweat from his brow before getting a firm grip on the log at his feet and nodding at Fistrinn. Heaving it up, they carefully made their way down behind the waterfall into the former Aran home. Most of them were tending to the Aran tree, removing rubble from the doorway and healing the roots with a poultice of herbs Elizabeth had helped them to make while a few helped with the physical repairs to be done. Every house was burnt to the ground and all of the old wood had had to be thrown anyway. Max was quite gleefully helping two Aran cut up the logs with his phaser and Chris shook his head with half a smile tugging at his lips, a fond gleam in his eyes.

"I swear Max is going to invent some kind of W.M.D someday." He chuckled. Fistrinn arched an eyebrow, his expression as unamused as ever.

"That would not be a thing to smile about." He said in a stern tone.

Chris rolled his eyes,  
"It's a joke Fistrinn." He groaned.

"I explained the concept of humour did I not?" Spock asked as they wandered over. They had been helping rebuild the houses for hours now and all needed a break. Chris stretched his aching back as Fistrinn quietly confessed he simply didn't find it funny. Jim chuckled and clapped his sons shoulder, glancing around at the rebuilding work going on with pride.

"How's it feel to watch your masterpiece come to life?" he asked. Chris grinned, shoulders back and chest puffing outward.

"I can't believe Kelon let me help design the new village." He confessed, "I can't wait to build the pool!"

"Why would the Aran need a-"

"Fistrinn buddy lighten up!" Chris exclaimed, clapping his shoulder and leading him towards the food beamed down from the Enterprise, a small feast. Anton and Kaiyo had stayed on board the ship, Anton was still too injured to move and Kaiyo understandably didn't want to come back. Elizabeth however was currently the foremost expert on Aran physiology and the planet's plant life, so was leading the medical team quite proficiently to give the Aran health checks and clean any remaining wounds. The little girl who had taken such a liking to her before was helping again much to Bones's amusement. Another flower crown had been placed on her head as she approached the food with Bones, deciding their lunchbreak should be spent as one unit.

"Nice headdress lass." Max chuckled, phaser in his belt while Scotty made some last adjustments to a blueprint for the new bonfire pit they were going to build.

"I'll castrate you with that phaser of yours." Elizabeth promised, picking up a water bottle and taking a long drag. Chris smirked a little and threw his arm around her shoulders, undeterred when she threw it off with a pointed glare.

"I see it, Lizzie of the lillies." He said with a chuckle as she smacked his arm hard. "Ow!"

"As I believe you say, you had that coming." Fistrinn noted. Jim snorted a laugh as Bones glanced at Spock with a rare grin,  
"Well damn, kids funnier than you."

The little girl came running up to her again and Elizabeth knelt down to speak to her, absent mindedly handing her a cupcake as she did so. She held up the bowl with the herbs she had collected and Elizabeth looked them over approvingly,  
"Neeha, somala comos tinew." She nodded as the girl skipped off happily.

"When did you learn Aran?" Chris asked in surprise. Elizabeth shrugged casually but her eyes were telling him it was a haunting and still vivid memory.

"I had the Nia in my head, the language is the same." She answered. Chris handed her a bottle of water without replying and the kids headed off for the lunch, sitting beside Kelon who conversed with Chris easily. Jim still marvelled in his son's achievement. He'd not only saved his friends but befriended an alien race, a race that he'd made first contact with. Elizabeth was smirking slightly at something Chris had said before she wiped the smirk from her face and glared at him instead.

"I'll say it again Jim, your boy better keep it in his pants." Bones asserted gruffly. Jim raised an eyebrow, glancing between his friend and their kids a few times.

"In his defence, she was more than happy to kiss him back the other day." He protested. Bones's eyes bugged slightly and Jim clapped his arm with a grin, "They're kids Bones, besides I've got a good gut feeling."

"I haven't." Bones grumbled as they went to join their kids. Bones sat near his daughter, surprised to find the topic of conversation on her mother of all people, he stayed quiet as Elizabeth ranted to Chris about the letter. He had known it would upset her but not this much. Chris however seemed to have it all planned out in his head, calmly assuring her that if she didn't want to be anywhere near Carol Marcus she didn't have to be. Elizabeth looked ready to protest but Chris cut her off,  
"You're an adult Lizzie, you have every right to say no if you don't want to see her and if she's too persistent…you have us."

He offered her a goofy smile as Fistrinn sighed,  
"I do not agree with you however I have agreed to defer to your judgement and will offer my assistance. Should your mother attempt to make contact I am sure we can…fend her off." Elizabeth looked touched for a moment before she hid the look and scowled at the floor, ripping the bread in her hands apart quite viciously.

"Yeah well, we'll see." She grumbled. Chris swallowed the last bites of his sandwich and nudged her with his elbow, a playful glint in his eyes.

"If all else fails we know a great planet we can send her too." He joked. Elizabeth actually cracked a small grin at that.

"Now you're talkin' hick." She smirked.

"I've been thinking about that, how can you get away with calling me a hick when you're more of a hick than me?" Chris wondered with a smirk. Elizabeth snorted, a rare and mischievous glint in her eye.

"Because you're a _dumb_ one." She retorted, "I got something between the ears, you ain't got nothin' there, hick." Bones chuckled and slung an arm around her shoulders.

"That's my daughter." He said proudly.

The day passed with a lot of hard work, and by the time the sun was setting up above they had built a multitude of huts and had almost completed the village, minus Kelon's house of course who had insisted his be the last to be built and his people were provided for first. Now, the bonfire was blazing and the rest of the crew had come down to join in the festivities. All their parents were sat with them as Kelon addressed his people surrounding the bonfire with words that touched Jim more than he could say.

"Our home if rebuilt, our sacred sanctuary restored and our people safe from the threat of the Nia…this is all thanks to our new friends. Christopher, Fistrinn, Elizabeth, Maxwell, Anton…they have all brought something invaluable to each and every one of us and there will be no way of repaying their deeds. All we can offer is our friendship and hope it is enough for you to accept." Kelon held out a hand to Chris who rose and grasped it firmly, a smile on his face and gleam in his eye that made his father sit a little taller.

"Kelon, you've nothing to repay us for, if anything we owe you. You've been generous and honest from the moment we met and it's an honour to call you a friend." Chris said sincerely. Elizabeth was sitting by the little girl again, hair done in an intricate crown braid that incorporated her flower crown this time. All their children were painted, colourful streaks adorning their faces and the backs of their hands. Jim had never been prouder to watch his son than he was watching him embrace Kelon while the Aran all jumped to their feet, singing and dancing and hooting. Max let out a loud laugh and was up and dancing with them around the fire, Anton rolling his eyes as Kaiyo sat beside him, hand in hand and speaking quietly in Russian to one another. Bones watched his daughter be tugged to her feet unwillingly by her little friend, forced to dance with her as the little girl giggled and laughed joyously. Chris was watching her over the fire, seeing the soft smile on the girls face as she came closer and closer until the little girl pushed her into him. Chris caught her in surprise, steadying her with a hand on her waist as Elizabeth gasped in shot.

"Even the kids think they should be together." Jim sang teasingly in his ear, watching the look on his sons face and knowing it well, "You know, it might not be all bad…it's the same look I give Nat." Bones frowned slightly. Jim and Natalie had been inseparable when they finally got their act together and Bones had witnessed the incredible lengths Jim would go to for his wife. Chris stared down into the chocolate brown eyes blinking up at him, softly tucking a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear and resting his palm against her jaw.

"You're glowing, Lizzie." He murmured, eyes tracing the amber shine on her face cast by the firelight. The shadows under her eyes looked a little longer but Chris didn't see them as a blemish or stain on her face, more of a testament to her hard work.

"I'm scared hick." She whispered. Chris's eyebrows knitted together but (in a strange reversal of their roles) Elizabeth smoothed the crease out with her thumb while he chuckled.

"You know what? Me too." He whispered back, "I like you Lizzie…a lot."

"I don't know how to like people." She confessed, the innocence in her brown eyes shining while Chris leaned down unconsciously, their foreheads pressed together, noses touching in a tender display of affection.

"It's a learn as you go thing." He breathed against her lips before finally claiming them. Elizabeth stiffened, the uncertainty clear in her trembling fingers as they clutched then released his shirt before she finally made up her mind and curled her fingers tight into the fabric. Chris was faintly aware of the cheering from Max and Anton (who had surprised his father with his outburst) but was more concerned with the searing feeling in his veins, the flipping of his gut, the burning feeling of her hands moving to his shoulders.

"Hey!" Bones protested, turning white while his friends laughed at his expression. Elizabeth blushed embarrassedly but turned to her father long enough to yell,  
"Cool it dad!"

Chris laughed, turning her back towards him to kiss her fiercely as Max bounded over to clap his shoulder.

"Finally!" the Scot crowed happily. Chris smirked a little and spun her out, forcing her to dance with him as Lizzie scowled – for the first time in forever Bones saw the hint of a smile waiting to break out on her lips. Anton was still on crutches, but struggled to his feet to offer Kaiyo his hand, the pair standing in place and moving gently to the beat while Max took a child under each arm and spun them around with a laugh. Fistrinn sighed and moved to put some more logs on the fire, only to be pulled up by the little girl that loved Elizabeth so much and forced to dance in an awkward display of rigid movements and a Vulcan style grimace. Jim chuckled a little, looking at each of the kids around him in turn and the village they had rebuilt. He flashed forward a little, Chris in red robes with a diploma in hand declaring him an official captain, his own leather backed command chair and a bridge full off crew ready for their orders. Chris Kirk was going to make a hell of a captain he thought, they'd all make one hell of a team.

"Boldly go you guys." Jim muttered, "Boldly go."

 **Hey guys!**

 **I cannot believe the amount of support you have given me for this story…I'm sorry to have to tell you it's over! Thank you so much for all of the reviews and the messages you've sent me, they've kept me writing and meant so much. I honestly do not know if I'll write a sequel to this** TheMasterOfFanfic555, **I'm about to get very busy moving to uni and settling in there and I have to redo my transformers fic (I promised them a Dark of the Moon sequel I started ages ago and need to finish and start posting :/). If the inspiration hits me however you'll be the first to know through an update on this story, I promise! I absolutely love every single reader who's stuck with me on this story and really can't thank you enough for all your kind words!**

 **Best wishes to you all,  
JessBubble **


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